Threats From "Changing World of Work."

By Work Alert

Decentralisation, teleworking and other trends in work, including the growing use of short-term employment contracts, could increase accident rates and other OHS problems, according to a two new reports from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

In "The Changing world of work: trends and implications for occupational safety and health in the European Union", the Agency identifies key developments in work and possible OHS impacts:

· emergence of new types of employers: with the growth of small and medium sized enterprises who have the highest accident rates

· the rise of the virtual firm: decentralisation and teleworking dilute good OHS practice

· increased time pressures: tighter schedules And higher workloads

· ICT: the need for rigorous use of ergonomically sound software and equipment

· workforce composition: concerns about the adequacy of OHS training, harassment levels increase and violence

The other paper is on "Research on New Forms of Contractual Relationships and the Implications for Safety and Health." It assesses the impacts of the rapid growth in short-term contracts.