Lighten the Load Campaign

On 2 March, 2021, the European Healthy Workplaces “Lighten the Load 2020-22" Campaign had its Kick-off in Germany in the scope of an online event. The event was held by BAuA (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Germany) and was supported by the “Musculoskeletal Strain Work Program” of the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA) at the DASA working world exhibition in Dortmund.

Musculoskeletal disorders are still a major problem across Europe in all industries and for all employees and can often be prevented by simple and inexpensive measures. That is why both the European campaign organized by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and the GDA's work program want to sensitize small and very small businesses in particular to the prevention of musculoskeletal strain and provide them with appropriate guidelines for carrying out risk assessments. The highlight of the European campaign is the European competition for good practice. In Germany, companies can submit their application to the national focal point (BAuA).
The GDA's "Musculoskeletal Strain Work Program” will start at the end of 2021. As part of the work program, around 6,700 company visits will be carried out in small and very small businesses. The results of the advice and monitoring of the companies are to be fed back to the supervisory bodies.

More than 220 experts in occupational safety and health from a wide variety of areas took part in the Kick-off event and obtained information about the content, measures and goals of the European campaign and the GDA work program.
A number of very interesting presentations were held, ENETOSH was represented by Dr Ulrike Bollmann, who put a focus on "How to reach children and adolescents with the topic of musculoskeletal stresses?”
The event program and all presentations can be found on the website of the Focal Point BAuA (in German).