English version - Fit for Work Europe

Conclusions and recommendations
80
interventions in time. An integrated care team, involving the treating health care
professionals, occupational physicians and the individual themselves should work
together to establish an optimal plan of intervention and return to work.
• Coordinate action. Five stakeholder groups – individuals, employers, occupational
physicians, clinicians and policy makers – must embrace the principles of effective
management of MSDs to reduce and prevent the impact of chronic conditions on
individuals’ ability to remain at work and return to employment. Better communication and
coordination must be put in place to ensure that those with MSDs receive appropriate
support, and that the impact of their condition on the daily activities is minimised.
The report calls upon each of the stakeholder groups to take action:
• Policy makers have to acknowledge both the direct and indirect costs of MSDs. We
need better measures to assess the social, economic and work impact of all MSDs,
to allow the Japanese government to assess and monitor both the clinical and labour
market impact of MSDs in a more ‘joined-up’ way. Considering the principal role of
policy makers in advising employers on effective prevention of chronic conditions, the
government should urgently review the guidelines for management of MSDs for both
manual and white-collar workers.
• Clinicians should prioritise staying in and returning to work as both a means and an
outcome of patient treatment. For some MSD patients, early access to physiotherapy or
drug therapies can reduce the severity, impact or progression of the condition; a delay
in diagnosis or treatment can make recovery, job retention or rehabilitation much more
difficult. Clinicians should work more closely with occupational physicians to ensure
that clinical treatment is complemented by appropriate workplace interventions and
vocational rehabilitation.
• Occupational physicians should look beyond legal compliance in maintaining the
health and well-being of employees and tailor vocational rehabilitation to individual
worker needs. When reviewing the safety of workplaces, they should acknowledge not
only the physical, but also the psychological impact of work on health in both manual
and non-manual jobs.
• Employers can change the way in which the work environment is organised (including
simple changes to physical layout or to working time arrangements) to help prevent
MSDs from getting worse and to help people with MSD to stay in, or return to, work.
They need to do this in a way which preserves job quality, avoids excessive or
damaging job demands and takes heed of ergonomic good practice. Employers must
recognise that work environment and working conditions can impact the health of both
manual and non-manual workers. Employers should explore successful examples of
Fit For Work? Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Japanese Labour Market