A new perspective on musculoskeletal disorders – emerging ergonomic risks in the European Union and Romania

Abstract

According to the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work, changes in employment arrangements, new technologies and an increasing ageing population are key sources of emerging risks. New and emerging risks should be a major area of interest for every organisation, as a thorough risk prevention activity is key to high organisation efficiency and increased employee wellbeing. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are not a new risk category by themselves, but the changing characteristics of the work system generate new types of MSDs as a profession-related pathology (work-related MSDs). There is limited literature on this matter, hence the paper provides relevant insights and a new perspective on ergonomic risks and MSDs. Also, the paper presents a comparative analysis of ergonomic risks in the EU and Romania – based on secondary data – and identifies emerging risks in this category.