Occupational safety and health in Europe - state and trends 2023 
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – EU-OSHA 43 
In a similar way,  the levels of ergonomic risks  are related with the sectoral structure of a country, 
determining the type of occupations and work tasks. EU -OSHA provided a detailed analysis of the 
prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the related risk factors in several studies on 
musculoskeletal diseases, for example, ‘Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: why are they still so 
prevalent?’58 
An example of the interrelation between sectors and risks is the connection  between the sector 
aggregate ‘Trade, transport, food/accommodation and recreation activities’ and t hree major indicators 
of ergonomic burden, that is,  ‘Painful, tiring positions’, ‘Repetitive hand or arm movements’ , and 
‘Carrying or moving heavy loads’.  
Seven countries have a share of employees in this sector of more than 30% (Cyprus, Greece, Spain, 
Malta, Bulgaria, Croatia and Latvia), and many of them are present in two or three lists of countries with 
the highest number of responses regarding the indicators.  
 
 
 
  
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