Work-related disorders in Sweden
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Causes of work-related disorders
Work-related disorders are caused by:
- occupational accidents;
- commuting accidents;
- other causes (such as strenuous working postures, heavy manual handling, repetitive work, mental stress, computer work, harassment, violence, noise, vibrations, heat, cold, draughts, chemical substances, etc.)
As Figure 2 shows, the percentages of work-related disorders caused by occupational accidents and by commuting accidents are quite low in comparison to other causes; they have also been fairly stable over time.
Occupational accidents and fatal accidents
According to the report’s preliminary figures on reported occupational accidents and work-related diseases from 2004 (see appendix), 30,484 occupational accidents (employed and self-employed) were reported in that year. This represents a steady decline from the 39,334 occupational accidents reported in 2000. The frequency rate for occupational accidents is 7.4 per 1,000 persons employed in 2004, compared with 8.7 in 2000.
The number of fatal accidents has also steadily decreased, from 89 in 1995 to 56 in 2004. For 2004, the frequency rate was 1.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 employees. Looking at the number of fatal accidents by economic activity over the past 10 years, four sectors stand out. Out of 688 accidents, 73% were within the following sectoral groupings:
- agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing (160);
- manufacturing (107);
- construction (111);
- transport, storage and communication (125).
Causes other than accidents
Stress and mental strain are the most common cause of work-related disorders among women and the third most common for men. Among men, the most frequent cause of work-related disorders is strenuous working postures, which is the second most frequent for women. Heavy manual labour is the third most prevalent cause among women and the second most prevalent among men. When combining all musculoskeletal disorders, these types of disorders are more common than disorders caused by stress or other psychosocial factors.
Work-related disorders caused by stress have increased significantly for employed women since 1996, although the proportion declined from 13.4% of all employed women in 2004 to 12.1% in 2005. For men, there has also been an increase since 1996, though not as large as for women. In absolute figures, the increase is greater for women than for men, since the mid 1990s. However, in relative terms, the increase is similar for men and women.
For women, work-related disorders caused by strenuous working postures reached a level of 12% in 2003 but are now down to almost the same level as in 1996. For men, there was an increase from 1996 to 2003 when it reached 9.2%, though it has declined since then.
| Strenuous working postures | Heavy manual labour | Stress and mental strain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 1996 | 7.5 | 10.1 | 5.1 | 6.4 | 3.6 | 5.8 |
| 1999 | 6.7 | 10.1 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 9.3 |
| 2000 | 8.0 | 11.2 | 5.6 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 11.8 |
| 2003 | 9.2 | 12.0 | 7.4 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 13.6 |
| 2004 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 13.4 |
| 2005 | 8.3 | 10.2 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 12.11 |
Source: Work-related disorders, Work Environment Authority, 2005
Other causes of work-related disorders include work on computer/display screens and repetitive tasks, each of which was reported by 4.1% of all those employed. Factors such as noise, vibrations, exposure to chemical substances, heat/cold, etc. were responsible for a minor proportion of the disorders in 2005.
A comparison can be made with preliminary figures on work-related diseases reported to the social insurance office (Försäkringskassan) in 2004. Chemical or biological substances account for 9% of all work-related diseases reported for that year. The main difference between a work-related disease and a work-related disorder is that the latter can be any disorder caused by the work situation, while work-related diseases are injuries that are reported to the social insurance office. In other words, even though only 3% of work-related disorders are caused by exposure to chemical substances, such exposure accounts for almost one in 10 of all work-related injuries being reported.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Over the last 10 years, musculoskeletal disorders have more or less remained at a constant level. The only statistically significant increase is in disorders of the back (except the neck), which is also the most common disorder, together with ailments of the shoulders and arms. Disorders of hips, joints, legs and knees are the only musculoskeletal disorders that are more common among men than women.
| Neck | Shoulders/arms | Hands, wrists, fingers | Back (except neck) | Hips, joints, legs, knees | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| 1996 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 9.6 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 2.6 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 2.4 | 6.6 | 5.2 | 10.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 7.0 | 9.6 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 2002 | 3.6 | 7.7 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 8.9 | 10.6 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| 2005 | 2.8 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
Source: Work-related disorders, Work Environment Authority, 2005
A comparison can be drawn with the preliminary figures for 2004 of work-related diseases. Some 58% of all reported cases are stated to be due to ergonomic factors. This is also the single most common cause of work-related disorders for both men and women.
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