The workshop had participants from: Denmark, England, Holland and Italy.

The discussion had the Danish attempts to reduce the amount of repetitive work as the starting point. The discussion included the topics : Definition and the extent of the problem; having Repetitive Strain Injuries, RSI. Possible solutions, and demands.

It is always a problem to make a clear definition and at the same time include al workers with similar occupational health damages. Despite this problem the group chose to use the Danish definition:

The cycle time less than 30 seconds, or the same movement repeated more than 50 percent of the cycle time.

And the worker is doing repetitive work in minimum 3-4 hours daily.

This definition served the other purpose pointing at the headline Work fit for peop¬le.

Repetitive work is a wide spread problem and is found in nearly all branches from slaughterhouses to offices.

For the workers already having RSI it is important to get compensation, but in none of the countries represented in the workshop has it been possible to get compensation to the injured. Firstly the specific strain must be on an official list of occupational diseases. Secondly the worker must have a relatively high loss in the ability to work. Thirdly in order to get compensati­on the injured must have been occupied in a specific area for a number of years. This is to some extent a specific problem for Denmark where people in the textile and fish industry have to prove a minimum of 12 years of continuous employment or a total of 16 years.

If these criteria aren't fulfilled, it is possible for the worker to get compensation if a doctor is willing to describe the work as the course for the strain, this possibility is only theoretically since the General Practitioner hasn't any experience with occupational health.

In most of the cases the sufferers continue in their work until the RSI forces them to quit resulting in a situation where the worker has very hard time finding another job that doesn't make the RSI flare up again. This problem is in many of countries increasing since it is getting still more common to force the workers suffering from RSI to work.

In the discussion there was a common agreement on the need for changing the work not only to prevent RSI but also to get the job content back. In order to make this change it isÔwork. Getting a specific injury on the official list of occupational diseases often takes 20 years, and it is a struggle that normally has to be made for every single kind of work.

Finely the problem is some of the workers that are refusing to face the problem. This problem shows by either workers fighting for keeping the piece rate systems that makes it nearly impossible to reduce the problem whit RSI, or it shows with the workers neglecting rules made in order to secure their health. To make the workers accepting the need for precautions putting the workers health in the foreground it is necessary to make campaigns and education.

Most of the demands needed are already in the European health and safety charter in the items 3, 7, 8, 11, 15 and 21. If we should point at something missing, it would be a stronger support to the workers suffering from different kinds of occupational diseases and unemployed workers against the increased tendency to throw suspicion on them.

In addition to the European health and safety charter the workshop has pointed on the need for including the working environment in the discussion of the political consumer and an the need of campaigns and education in order to increase the workers knowledge of how their work causes injuries and how to solve the problems.

Written by:

Dan Aistrup and Allan Pleman