Working conditions in health and social work sector

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.

About the study

A study on ‘Health and safety committees and groups: Composition, activities and problems’ was carried out in the first three pilot sectors – health and social work, metalworking and transport – in September–October 2009. It is part of a two-year project ‘Health, safety and environment (HSE) in the workplace’ of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (Конфедерация на независимите синдикати в България, CITUB) and the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO). The project is supported by a grant from Norway through the Norwegian Cooperation Programme (BG0911039I). It aims to strengthen and develop the capacity of working conditions committees and social dialogue in organisations and companies.

Methodology

The research methods used by the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research (Институтът за синдикални и социални изследвания, ISTUR) encompass various instruments, including a questionnaire-based survey in six pilot branches of economic activity: health and social work, metalworking, transport, construction, sea transport and energy supply. The questionnaire contains 34 questions focusing on: working conditions; an assessment of the employer’s occupational safety and health (OSH) policy; the composition, mandate and activity of the working conditions committees; factors hindering or supporting their activity; and training needs.

A selection of results from the survey in health and social work (617Kb PDF) are outlined below. Some 202 health and safety representatives in working conditions committees participated in the survey, including 146 women and 56 men from different health establishments throughout the country.

Main findings

Main occupational hazards at the workplace

The results presented in Figure 1 show that the three main occupational risk factors in the health and social work sector include: stress due to work overload (65.4%), shift and night work (60.4%) and high risk for health (44.2%). Other most frequently cited hazards are: working with biological substances (43.7%) and stress due to lack of time (40.5%). About a third of the respondents also mentioned tiring or painful working positions, noise and harmful radiation, while about a quarter of those surveyed highlighted repetitive movements, working with chemicals, violence or the threat of violence, and bullying or harassment.

Main occupational hazards (%)

An issue of concern for the respondents is the relatively high level of accidents at the workplace. According to 38.2% of those surveyed, in the last three years between one and five accidents occurred in the establishments where they work. Of most concern, however, is the fact that while the overall number of occupational accidents in Bulgaria is decreasing, accidents in the health and social work sector increased. The official statistical data show that accidents in healthcare increased from 144 cases in 2007 to 190 incidents in 2008.

Assessing companies in relation to their OSH policy

The survey data make it possible to evaluate employers’ compliance with the statutory obligations related to ensuring health and safety at the workplace, as well as favourable conditions for effective worker representation through the working conditions committee.

Table 1 outlines an analysis of the data and shows that employers:

• have a programme for improving working conditions, according to 57% of the survey respondents;

• have a programme for occupational health, according to 63.9% of respondents;

• carry out a risk assessment, according to 75.2% of respondents;

• have a programme for risk reduction and elimination, according to 53.2% of respondents.

However, the survey respondents are less satisfied with the information provided by the employer in relation to planned restructuring, with 48.3% of them confirming that the employer provides such information.

Table 1: Assessment of employer’s OSH policy

	Yes	No	Don’t know
Introduces clear and transparent OSH policy	60.1	9.0	30.9
Offers programme for workers’ health	71.1	8.3	20.6
Provides programme for risk reduction/elimination	53.2	23.7	23.1
Offers programme for occupational health	63.9	17.8	18.3
Invests in improving working conditions	57.0	15.2	27.9
Makes a risk assessment	75.2	14.3	13.2
Ensures the necessary conditions for workers’ participation in working conditions committee	68.0	5.1	27.0
Supports trade union demands for improvements	60.1	10.7	29.2
Informs personnel about planned restructuring	48.3	20.9	30.8
Takes activity of working conditions committee seriously	64.0	8.1	27.9
Informs working conditions committee about planned restructuring	41.6	27.7	30.7
Is fully committed to improving working conditions	60.7	8.2	31.1

Source: CITUB and LO, 2009

Employer support for activity of working conditions committee

About three quarters of the respondents (74%) stated that the employer offers the obligatory initial training of working conditions committee members (Figure 2). However, a significantly lower proportion of respondents reported that the employer provides the necessary conditions for the realisation of the statutory rights of the working conditions committee members. Such rights include access to: obligatory annual training (50.5%), information on working conditions (56.5%), analyses of occupational accidents and illnesses (48.4%), inspection reports and recommendations (51.6%) and a risk assessment (45.7%).

Assessment of employer’s support of working conditions committee activity (%)

Commentary

This is the first ever survey on working conditions committees in Bulgaria. Despite not being representative of the health and social work sector as a whole, it provides valuable insight into the composition and activity of employee representatives in working conditions committees, and the challenges that they face, and outlines the main areas for improvement.

Nadezhda Daskalova, Institute for Social and Trade Union Research (ISTUR)