European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)
12 March 2010:
Trends in work accidents 2005–2008
(Romania / Information update)
Annual reports from the Labour Inspection Office show that the total number of persons injured at work in Romania has decreased from 5,031 persons in 2005 to 4,592 persons in 2008, with the rate of 0.85 casualties per 1,000 employees declining to 0.8. Of all occupational accidents among the four major types of causes, accidents caused by the workers’ own fault top the list. The data also reveal a significant increase in accidents caused by the working environment and tasks assigned.
12 March 2010:
Health and Safety Authority records lowest ever workplace fatalities
(Ireland / Information update)
A new report from Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority (HSA), published in January 2010, shows that 43 people were killed in workplace accidents in Ireland in 2009. This is the lowest figure since records began in 1991, when 73 people were killed. Further comparisons show that while the Irish figures may not be as good as the European average, they are within close range and are undoubtedly a significant improvement on fatality rates in the early to mid 1990s.
12 March 2010:
Fathers’ experience of parental leave
(Malta / Information update)
A study on ‘Fathers on parental leave’ in Malta, commissioned by the Employment and Training Corporation, carried out research on fathers on leave, employers and decision makers. The study analyses the motivating factors that encouraged 10 Maltese fathers to take parental leave. It also looks at the obstacles that they encountered and how employers dealt with the issue of men taking parental leave. Overall, the practice of men taking parental leave in Malta remains low.
12 March 2010:
Positive impact of training on productivity in food industry
(Belgium / Information update)
A study published in 2008 uses company-level panel data on training provided by employers in order to estimate its impact on productivity and wages, especially in the food industry. The productivity premium for a trained worker is estimated at 23%, while the wage premium of training is estimated at 12%. The study concludes that, by training its workers, a company can realise an extra added value per worker amounting to €1,385 higher than the cost of the required training.
12 March 2010:
Working conditions in health and social work sector
(Bulgaria / Information update)
A study conducted by the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research examines working conditions in establishments providing health and social services in Bulgaria. It also aims to assess the main activities of the working conditions committees. Among the most frequently cited occupational risk factors are stress, and shift and night work. Accidents in the health and social work sector have increased in recent years, despite declining in other sectors.
12 March 2010:
Role of temporary work in company recruitment
(Luxembourg / Information update)
A survey conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in 2007 shows that temporary work is an important recruitment channel for companies in Luxembourg. Between 2004 and early 2007, 42% of enterprises which had recruited stated that they had used temporary workers. About 15% of these companies do so all or nearly all of the time, while 46% do so from time to time and 39% rarely do so.
08 March 2010:
Impact of new management practices on working conditions
(Germany / Information update)
The results of the 2008–2009 works council survey, carried out by the Institute of Economic and Social Research within the Hans Böckler Foundation, highlight the effects of various management practices on work strains in German companies. The survey findings provide a new insight into health risk management at establishment level, also highlighting that only a minority of companies are carrying out health risk assessments, albeit being prescribed by law.
08 March 2010:
Stricter sick leave rules results in insurance savings
(Hungary / Information update)
Hungary’s National Health Insurance Fund (OEP) managed to achieve a positive budget balance in 2008, according to recent findings. The savings are thought to be linked to the first stage of a health reform in early 2007, introducing stricter rules for sick leave and the supervision and review of the incapacity for work status by OEP doctors. As a result, the number of sick days taken and sick leave expenditure have shown a decline in recent years.
08 March 2010:
Spotlight on informal employment
(Romania / Information update)
In July 2008, the Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published a report on informal employment and its different forms in Romania, based on data analysis. It also looks at the characteristics of people in informal employment and the economic sectors where such employment is most prevalent. The study presents policy options and measures to deal with informal employment especially for vulnerable groups of workers.
08 March 2010:
Impact of ‘Toyota model’ in healthcare sector
(Sweden / Information update)
A recent study by Stockholm University assesses the correlation between shorter working hours and improvements in health, well-being and the level of physiological stress among workers in the healthcare sector. The study evaluates the effect of introducing a new working time model, the so-called ‘Toyota model’, and its effect on employee health and work satisfaction. It concludes that the new working time model has no significant effect on workers’ health or stress levels.