Workers in Veneto region less exposed to risk factors but work is more repetitive
Published: 3 April 2007
In October 2006, the Regione Veneto [1] and the National agency for risk prevention and health at work (Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e la Sicurezza del Lavoro, Ispesl [2]) published a study on Health and safety at work in the Veneto region (in Italian, 985Kb PDF) [3]. The report includes a survey on working conditions and health and safety risk prevention.[1] http://www.regione.veneto.it/[2] http://www.ispesl.it[3] http://www.safetynet.it/attach/content/1598/relazione conclusiva ISPESL.pdf
According to a pilot study on occupational health and safety, workers in the Veneto region in northeastern Italy report less exposure to risk factors and work-related illnesses than the European average. However, they perform repetitive tasks and work long hours more frequently than average. Moreover, absenteeism is significantly higher than the average in Europe.
In October 2006, the Regione Veneto and the National agency for risk prevention and health at work (Istituto Superiore per la Prevenzione e la Sicurezza del Lavoro, Ispesl) published a study on [Health and safety at work in the Veneto region (in Italian, 985Kb PDF)](http://www.safetynet.it/attach/content/1598/relazione conclusiva ISPESL.pdf). The report includes a survey on working conditions and health and safety risk prevention.
Veneto, a region in the northeast of Italy, experienced the highest economic performance in Italy during the 1980s and 1990s, based on the success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in traditional manufacturing industries such as food, clothing, shoes, furniture and spectacles, and in metalworking.
Survey methodology
Some 5,000 interviews were collected in 2005 according to computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) methodology; the sample is representative of the working population aged 15–64 years according to a pro-quota sampling procedure. The questionnaire comprises 30 questions from the third [European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS, 2000)](/search/node/ewco OR surveys OR ?oldIndex), together with some questions on the personal characteristics of respondents. The section from the EWCS mainly derives from the results compiled on pages 43–44 of the final report. The findings of the 2005 study on occupational health and safety at work in the Veneto region were taken as reference figures for comparing working conditions in the region with those in Europe.
Survey findings
Examining the 2005 data by employment contract and length of service or tenure shows that almost 90% of respondents hold a permanent employment contract. However, non-permanent workers report very low tenure – at 1.04 years on average – in comparison to the average of 3.6 years in the 15 EU Member States before May 2004 (EU15). These figures reveal a significant divide between permanent and non-permanent workers.
Risk factors
In general, Venetian workers report lower exposure to risk factors for at least a quarter of their working time, compared with the average in the EU15 (Table 1). The difference is greater for workers being exposed to cold (60% lower) and heat (almost 50%), but is less than a quarter for workers exposed to vibrations, inhaling vapours and handling dangerous products. The difference in respect of radiation is not significant.
When looking at the sector distribution, the manufacturing, transport and healthcare sectors show the highest figures in terms of risk factors. The aforementioned differences are therefore rather surprising since manufacturing and construction employ a higher proportion in the Veneto region, at almost 37%, than the EU15 average (almost 30%). Moreover, the average company size in the Italian region is lower than the European average; smaller companies usually denote a higher likelihood of safety risks.
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| Noise | 29 | 18.8 |
| Vibrations | 24 | 19.6 |
| High temperatures | 23 | 12.8 |
| Low temperatures | 21 | 9.0 |
| Breathing in vapours | 22 | 17.9 |
| Handling dangerous products | 16 | 12.1 |
| Radiation | 6 | 5.8 |
Note: The data represent workers exposed to risk factors for at least a quarter of their working time.
Source: Pilot survey on health and safety at work in the Veneto region, Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Ergonomic risks
Risk factors of an ergonomic nature present a varying picture (Table 2). On the one hand, Venetian workers are more likely to report repetitive movements (50%) and working with visual display units (VDUs) (54%) than the EU15 averages, which amount to 31% and 41% respectively. On the other hand, the Italian workers surveyed report a lower incidence of carrying heavy loads, at 22% compared with an EU15 average of 37%, and short-cycle repetitive movements, at almost 23% compared with 32%. These data reflect the prevalence in the Veneto region of traditional manufacturing, based on repetitive tasks and closer to a decentralised ‘lean production’ model than to a ‘flexible specialisation’ model.
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| Painful or tiring positions | 47 | 46.4 |
| Carrying heavy loads | 37 | 22.1 |
| Repetitive movements | 31 | 49.7 |
| Short repetitive movements (less than 10 minutes) | 32 | 22.9 |
| Working with computers | 41 | 54.4 |
| Teleworking with computers | 5 | 4.5 |
| Homeworking | 8 | 3.7 |
Note: The data represent workers exposed to certain working conditions for at least a quarter of their working time.
Source: Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Pace of work
Data in relation to the pace of work (Table 3) confirm this model of operation. While the workers surveyed report similar experiences in working at high speed and to tight deadlines as the EU15 average, there is little complaint about lack of time to complete the job.
The pace of work shows a higher dependence on the work done by colleagues (49.6%) and supervisor control (36.9%) than the EU15 average (43% and 32% respectively) and a lower dependence on direct demands from people, production targets and speed of automated machinery. This aspect is partly in contrast with the ‘network company’ model which dominates the entrepreneurial view and underlines the dominance of manufacturing SMEs.
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| Work at high speed for at least a quarter of working time | 56 | 59.4 |
| Tight deadlines | 60 | 57.7 |
| Not enough time to complete the job | 21 | 8.9 |
| Work pace depending on: | ||
| Work done by colleagues | 43 | 49.6 |
| Direct demands from people | 69 | 65.5 |
| Production targets | 31 | 28.8 |
| Automated speed | 20 | 18.3 |
| Control by supervisor | 32 | 36.9 |
Source: Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Working time
The average working time is lower in the Veneto region, at 37.3 hours a week compared with 38.2 hours on average in the EU15 (Table 4). However, the actual distribution of working time among workers is more uneven: 60% of respondents in the Italian region work more than 40 hours a week, whereas the EU15 average is 48%. The social acceptance of overtime, including Saturdays, explains the few complaints noted above regarding lack of time to get the job done. Meanwhile, the smaller size of companies and relative lack of complexity of their organisations explains the lower incidence of shift work, night work and Sunday work – at 13.1%, 11.2% and 18.2% respectively – than the EU average (20%, 19% and 24% respectively).
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average hours per week | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Less than 30 hours a week | 16 | 20.8 |
| 30–39 hours a week | 35 | 19.2 |
| More than 40 hours a week | 48 | 59.9 |
| Shift work for at least a quarter of working time | 20 | 13.1 |
| At least one night a month | 19 | 11.2 |
| At least one Saturday a month | 47 | 49.7 |
| At least one Sunday a month | 24 | 18.2 |
Source: Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Occupational diseases
The rate of reported work-related diseases is significantly lower in the Veneto region than the European average (Table 5). The gap is small for stress, anxiety and breathing difficulties, reported by 26.9%, 5.5% and 1.4% of Venetian workers respectively, compared with the EU averages of 28%, 7% and 2% respectively. However, the difference is particularly wide for musculoskeletal diseases in general. Almost 5% of the 2005 survey respondents in the Veneto region believe that working improves their health; this is not only due to wider job latitude and decision autonomy, as the report shows, but also to cultural factors.
Analysing the odd ratios between certain risk factors and diseases generally shows significant relationships between exposure and resulting illness.
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does not affect my health | 60 | 55.8 |
| Stress | 28 | 26.9 |
| Back ache | 33 | 17.8 |
| Overall fatigue | 23 | 11.9 |
| Muscular pains in upper limbs | 13 | 6.8 |
| Headache | 15 | 6.1 |
| Problems with vision | 9 | 5.4 |
| Anxiety | 7 | 5.5 |
| Muscular pains in lower limbs | 12 | 4.3 |
| Irritability | 11 | 4.0 |
| Hearing problems | 7 | 2.3 |
| Respiratory difficulties | 2 | 1.4 |
| Skin problems | 6 | 1.2 |
| Allergies | 4 | 1.1 |
| Stomach ache | 4 | 1.1 |
| Insomnia | 8 | 2.0 |
| Trauma | 4 | 0.5 |
| Heart disease | 1 | 0.3 |
| My work improves my health | 1 | 4.9 |
Source: Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Absenteeism
Finally, the relative number of absence days is higher in the Veneto region than the EU15 average (Table 6), particularly short absences of less than 20 days, although the report does not discuss these figures. A cultural explanation could be suggested. The Veneto region is included in the area known as the ‘Third Italy’, meaning that it is not part of the main northern industrial districts nor of the less industrialised regions in the south of the country. Like other ‘Third Italy’ regions, Venetian factories are concentrated in rural areas and in industries with seasonal trends, and most employees maintain some agricultural activities on their own piece of land. Employers tolerate some short absences on a basis of mutual understanding, especially when there are seasonal downturns in workload.
Nevertheless, the study authors regret having excluded more questions on organisational issues, such as job rotation and teamworking, which could have enhanced a greater understanding of working conditions, organisational styles and workers’ health.
| EWCS 2000 | Veneto 2005 | |
|---|---|---|
| No absence | 84 | 48.13 |
| Less than 5 days | 5 | 20.09 |
| 5–20 days | 9 | 27.56 |
| More than 20 days | 3 | 4.22 |
Source: Regione Veneto and Ispesl, 2005
Commentary
The decentralisation of Italian labour policies to the regions has significantly augmented the analysis of working conditions, both at national and local level, especially by public bodies. Unfortunately, these institutions are poorly connected with each other, according to an open method of coordination (OMC) approach, and are concentrated in the Centre-North of Italy, which experiences better economic and labour market indicators than the less developed regions of southern Italy. The latter regions report very low employment rates.
The study offers interesting findings which contradict some of the most common misconceptions regarding SMEs in the ‘Third Italy’. While exposure to risk factors is lower than the EU15 average, repetitiveness and psychosocial factors are generally higher than average and are also widespread in the services sectors. This finding questions the imagined positive impact of relocating those manufacturing tasks perceived to be most onerous to the new Member States.
Mario Giaccone, Fondazione Regionale Pietro Seveso
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2007), Workers in Veneto region less exposed to risk factors but work is more repetitive, article.
This website is an official website of the European Union.
All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies