To mark the International Day of Care and Support, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) presented new publications on occupational safety and health in residential long-term care on 29 October 2026. These comprise a 118-page main report, a six-page summary and six practical case studies from various EU countries.
What risks do workers in elderly care face?
Workers in nursing and care homes combine physically demanding work with emotionally taxing tasks, often in irregular shifts and for low pay. According to EU-OSHA, this involves a combination of risks: musculoskeletal disorders from lifting and moving residents, psychosocial strain and risks to mental health, workplace accidents, and exposure to biological and chemical substances. Understaffing, a demanding work organisation and limited career opportunities increase the pressure on staff, according to the agency.
What does the new EU-OSHA report say?
The main report, “Residential care workers: a comprehensive overview of occupational safety and health”, maps the most common risks in the sector and includes policy recommendations. According to EU-OSHA, effective prevention requires a combination of better work organisation, supportive management and effective risk assessment. A separate six-page summary sets out the key findings.
Practical examples from across Europe
Alongside the main report, EU-OSHA published six case studies showing how different countries tackle risks in residential care. A case study from Germany describes an emergency programme for care staff, aimed at retaining workers and strengthening workplace safety. A case study from Poland shows how working conditions in residential care were evaluated using a participatory approach, and a case study from Finland examines the effects of staffing ratios in residential care on safe and healthy work. Other case studies describe a tool for safer lifting of residents (EasyMAPO), a trade union campaign against excessive use of psychotropic drugs among residents, and safer design and renovation of nursing homes.
Context
An earlier EU-OSHA sector analysis (2022), based on the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) of 2009, 2014 and 2019, sets out the broader context. According to that analysis, the health and social work sector employs around 11 percent of all workers in the EU (Eurostat figure for 2020). Organisations in this sector report risks from lifting and moving heavy loads, exposure to chemical and biological substances, and how work is organised more often than in other sectors. Difficult situations with patients or residents and time pressure are, according to the survey, the most significant psychosocial risks in the sector, and apart from fear of job loss, all measured risks increased between survey rounds. At the same time, the sector scores better than the cross-sector average on action plans against work-related stress, and employees are more often involved in designing measures against that stress than in other industries.
Source: International Day of Care: new publications on residential care and OSH, 29 October 2026
Additionally reviewed: EU-OSHA (2022), Human health and social work activities: evidence from the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER), summary.
