The Government’s work environment strategy 2021–2025 – “A good work environment for the future emphasizes” that everyone should have the ability, energy, and desire to work a full working life, that working life should be healthy, and that no one should die as a result of work. The strategy states that creating healthy workplaces is an important part of promoting health and should be a central aspect of daily work environment efforts. It is unacceptable for anyone to die as a result of their work, and working life should offer everyone who works development and the opportunity for good health.
Thomas Nessen is the project lead analyst for both compilations. He reports that previous research studies indicate that prolonged physical strain at work can lead to serious health risks. Up to 28 percent of all work-related deaths in Sweden are estimated to be linked to continuous heavy physical strain on the job. Despite previous studies, there is a lack of a comprehensive view from a Nordic perspective on the extent and manner in which prolonged or persistent physically heavy or strenuous work affects health.
Previous research has shown that prolonged physical strain at work can entail serious health risks. Furthermore, up to 28 percent of all work-related deaths in Sweden have been estimated to be linked to prolonged heavy physical strain on the job.
Both projects share a common ambition to improve the work environment and reduce work-related health risks. By highlighting the relationship between heavy physical work and its negative consequences, from death to sick leave, the projects aim to contribute to the creation of safer and more sustainable workplaces. They strive to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses.
Due to the subject’s scope, the work is divided into two projects as follows:
- Heavy physical work and its link to death, cardiovascular diseases.
- Heavy physical work and its link to sick leave, disability benefits, and the need to change or quit jobs.
Both projects are set to be presented in the first quarter of 2025.