Accord on reduction of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders in agriculture

In November 2005, the representatives of the European social partners in agriculture concluded an agreement on the reduction of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders in their sector.

On 21 November 2005, the president of employers’ organisation GEOPA-COPA, Bernard Levacher, and the president of the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), Peter Kaae Holm, signed a European [agreement](http://www.effat.org/5/5_2/5_2_4/Files EN/051121 Final Agreement signed EN.pdf) on the reduction of workers’ exposure to the risk of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders in agriculture. Musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) are a key element of occupational disease in the sector, and their incidence is increasing.

Although risk prevention for MSDs is already covered by existing European legislation, the European Commission acknowledges that it is not yet fully implemented, in particular, in smaller enterprises. It therefore entered into a period of consultation with the social partners in November 2004 [EU0411204F], with the aim of ensuring that all workers operate in a safe and healthy working environment.

The accord between the agriculture sector social partners is their response to the Commission. In it, they state the following points:

• they call on the European institutions to establish a common framework for the definition of MSDs;

• they call on their member organisations to entrust a body in each Member State with the setting up of an observatory that will be in charge of gathering information on MSDs - the lack of comparable statistics hinders progress on eradicating MSDs in the sector;

• they will set up a European observatory to gather and analyse data submitted by the Member States, which will highlight best practices and make these known to EU and Member State institutions. This observatory will either sit within the Commission or the agriculture social dialogue committee; and

• they call for further prevention measures to be developed in Member States, through training programmes, occupational medicine services and similar, which will lead to the elimination or the reduction of risk in individual workplaces. In this way, the social partners in the Member States will contribute to the implementation of best practice in farms.

Odile Quintin, the outgoing Director General (DG) for Employment and Social Policy at the Commission, welcomed the 'courageous step' taken by the sectoral social partners to act early on what is required. Bernard Janssen, the head of the unit at the employment DG, emphasised the importance of this agreement for the future work of the Commission.

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