text: Looking at the data, it is quite obvious that the**northern and the central European countries are**
  **underrepresented**in the group of countries with the highest share of physical and ergonomic risks. The 
  central European countries (Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, and 
  the two northern European countries Denmark and Sweden) are practically not present in these lists. 
  The picture changes if it is about lifting or moving of people, a consequence of the relatively larger 
  relevance of care work in these countries. 
  
  **Physical inactivity and permanent or prolonged sitting or standing**is a specific ergonomic risk with 
  health impacts for the musculoskeletal system but also contributing to other health impacts like 
  cardiovascular diseases, tendency to overweight and so on.60 According to ESENER 2019, the second 
  most frequently reported risk factor in the EU27 was**prolonged sitting**. By sector, it was most frequently 
  reported by enterprises in financial and insurance activities (92% of establishments in the sector in the 
  EU28), information and communication (92%), and public administration (89%). On average, three to 
  four hours of this sedentary behaviour occurs at work. In the EU, 28% of workers report that their work 
  involves sitting almost all the time and a further 30% report sitting a quarter to three quarters of the time, 
  and throughout Europe 18% of the workers sit more than 7.5 hours a day. 