European Survey on New & Emerging Risks (ESENER) - Overview and main results 2009

1. European Survey on New & Emerging Risks (ESENER) - Overview and main results 2009

2. How was ESENER carried out? • Computer-assisted telephone interviews (“CATI”) • Native language interviewers based in each country • Two questionnaires • Most senior manager in charge of OSH (~25 min) • Employee representative dealing with OSH (~15 min) • 31 countries: 36,000 interviews • EU-27 + Croatia, Turkey, Norway and Switzerland • 41 national versions of each questionnaire • Adapted for language and national OSH terminology • Focused on establishments (workplace level) covering both public and private sectors

3. Which workplaces were surveyed? • ESENER covers all establishments with 10+ workers • Across all sectors, including public, except agriculture and fishing • Establishments with 10 or more employees 3 million enterprises 136 million employees

4. What topics did the survey cover? • Health and safety management • Management of ‘new’ psychosocial risks • Key drivers and barriers • Workers’ participation

5. Topic 1: health and safety management • Measures taken Risk assessment: In-house or outsourced? On what occasions? What is checked? How is it followed up? Reasons for no checks? • Management commitment Is there a documented policy? Does it have an impact? Reasons for no policy; Involvement of high-level and line managers • Sources of expertise, advice or information Use of general OSH consultancy, Occupational health, or specialist (safety expert, ergonomist or psychologist); sources of information • Main concerns about workplace risks Accidents, MSDs, stress, dangerous substances, noise and vibration, violence and bullying or harassment

6. Measures taken Workplaces checked as part of a risk assessment and whether checks are conducted in-house rather than contracted out • % establishments and % establishments where checks are carried out

7. Measures taken Proportion of risk assessments that are normally contracted to external service providers % establishments Note: establishments where risk assessment or similar measures are carried out

8. Measures taken Risk assessments conducted in-house or contracted to external service providers by establishment size % establishments, EU27 Note: establishments where risk assessment or similar measures are carried out

9. Measures taken Risk assessments conducted in-house by establishment size in selected countries Risk assessment conducted only by own staff % establishments, EU27 Note: establishments where risk assessment or similar measures are carried out

10. Management commitment Prevalence of a documented policy, established management system or action plan on health and safety % establishments 85% of managers state that the policy has an impact

11. Management commitment Health and safety issues raised regularly in high level management meetings % establishments

12. Main concerns about workplace risks Level of concern about various health and safety issues % establishments, EU27

13. Sources of expertise, advice or information Use of OSH information from different bodies % establishments, EU27, lowest, average and highest SE EE 21% EL IE 29% DK IE 40% EE RO 55% DE AT 56% EL LT 58% ES EE 65%

14. Topic 2: Management of ‘new’ psychosocial risks (stress, violence and harassment) • Main concerns and causes Level of concern about stress, violence and bullying or harassment? What are the principal risk factors (e.g. time pressure, poor communication, job insecurity, etc.)? • Measures taken Ad-hoc or ‘reactive’ measures (e.g. training, change to work organisation, work area redesign, confidential support, changes to working time, conflict resolution) • Procedures in place More formal or system-based than ‘measures’, e.g. procedures to deal with stress, with violence or with bullying or harassment

15. Main concerns and causes Concern regarding work-related stress % establishments

16. Main concerns and causes Concern regarding violence or threat of violence % establishments

17. Main concerns and causes Concern regarding bullying or harassment % establishments

18. Main concerns and causes Concern about various psychosocial risk factors % establishments, EU27

19. Main concerns and procedures in place Concern regarding work-related stress and existence of procedures to deal with it % establishments

20. Procedures in place Prevalence of procedures to deal with work-related stress, bullying or harassment, or work-related violence % establishments, EU27

21. Measures taken Employees informed about whom to address in case of work-related psychosocial problems % establishments

22. Measures taken Areas that are routinely checked as part of a risk assessment % establishments, EU27, lowest, highest and average Note: only establishments where risk assessment or similar measures are carried out 97% IE CY 45% FI EE 60% DK EE 76% RO LT

23. Topic 3: Drivers and barriers (managers’ motivation to take action and main obstacles) • Main reasons for addressing health and safety and for addressing psychosocial risks Legal obligations, employee requests, client requirements, staff retention, absenteeism, labour inspectorate pressure, or productivity or performance reasons • Main difficulties in dealing with health and safety and with psychosocial risks Lack of resources, lack of awareness, insufficient expertise, culture, sensitivity of the issue, or lack of technical support or guidance Difficulty in tackling psychosocial risks compared with other health and safety issues

24. Drivers Major reasons for addressing health and safety % establishments, EU-27

25. Barriers Reasons for not carrying out risk assessments regularly % establishments, EU27 Note: establishments where risk assessment or similar measures are NOT carried out

26. Barriers Main difficulties in dealing with health and safety and with psychosocial risks % establishments, EU-27

27. Topic 4: Worker participation (what arrangements are in place and what effect does it have?) • Formal representation Participation through works council, trades union, health and safety committee or health and safety representative Requests to deal with stress, violence and bullying or harassment • Direct participation Provision of information to employees Encouragement of workers to participate in implementation and evaluation of measures Consultation on measures to deal with psychosocial risks • Impact of worker participation Effect of formal and direct participation on management of health and safety and of psychosocial risks • Resources Time, information, training, access to workers

28. Formal participation Health and safety management measures, by existence of a formal employee representation % establishments, EU27

29. Formal participation Workplaces regularly checked for safety and health as part of a risk assessment: total and with employee representation % establishments, EU27

30. Formal participation Consultation of employees regarding measures to deal with psychosocial risks % establishments, EU27 Note: establishments that report having procedures and measures to deal with psychosocial risks

31. Key findings from ESENER • Most establishments carry out workplace checks as part of a risk assessment or similar measure But prevalence varies according to size of enterprise and country • Preventative health and safety culture Involvement of top management and existence of documented policy, action plan or management system is very variable • In-house vs. outsourced risk assessment Very different practices across Member States Even the smallest firms can assess risks without contracting experts • Concerns about the level of awareness of risks If no risk is perceived, no preventive action is taken; particularly among the smaller enterprises • Worker participation has a positive effect Especially in SMEs and if there is ‘formal’ representation

32. Further information www.esener.eu • Find out more about ESENER • Download publications • Use our interactive tool to generate results by country, establishment size and sector