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Date: 22/04/04
- 40% of workers in accession and candidate countries (ACC) believe their health and safety is at risk due to work, compared with only 27% in the EU-15;
- workers in the ACC report significantly higher exposure to various physical risk factors, such as dangerous substances, fumes and noise;
- a higher proportion of these workers (41%) report suffering from fatigue as a result of their work, compared to their counterparts in the EU-15 (23%);
- workers in the ACC work longer hours, an average of 44.4 hours per week, compared with 38.2 in the EU;
- 38% of ACC workers work more than 45 hours per week compared with only 21% in member states;
- unsociable working hours (such as night or shift work) are more prevalent in the ACC;
- self-reported accident rates in the ACC for a number of other health problems mirror those of the EU-15, including stress (28%), backache (34%) and muscular pains in the neck and shoulder (23%);
- in the construction industry, 47% of all employees work in businesses with fewer than ten staff;
- in the ten acceding countries, construction accounts for 20% of all work-related accidents;
- 48% of construction workers report backache (EU average: 33%);
- 36% claim muscular problems in the neck and shoulders (EU: 23%);
- 28% complain of upper-limb muscular problems (EU: 13%);
- nearly one-in-five employees (17%) are permanently exposed to high levels of noise;
- 19% of construction workers are permanently exposed to vibrations;
- 600,000 construction workers are exposed to asbestos each year;
- in the UK, 750 construction workers die from asbestos-related diseases every year;
- during the construction of the Channel Tunnel, more than one-quarter of the 1,134 workers were diagnosed with occupational dermatitis;
- around 1,300 building workers are killed each year, that is equivalent to 13 employees out of every 100,000;
- the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has a 20-language website. http://ew2004.osha.eu.int
- next year's campaign will focus on noise, with the 2006 campaign set to highlight young workers.
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