Diseases of the musculoskeletal system are the most common non-traumatic pathology in the workplace in our country, with an incidence of 60.6%. With the aim of analyzing and reducing musculoskeletal disorders in the work environment BSH Appliances Spain, Mutua MAZ and Universidad San JorgOn October 29, 2013, a framework collaboration agreement and a chair protocol were signed for the creation of the Healthy Business Chair. a chair pioneer in Spain for being the first dedicated to research in occupational health in the industry that has the participation of a private company.
Since its inception, the Chair’s team has carried out ten studies in which more than 450 volunteer workers have participated and about a thousand biomechanical tests have been performed. Total, Some 4,000 workers have improved their health and quality of life inside and outside the workplace.
On the occasion of this anniversary, at the BSH Electrical Appliances factory in Montañana, The achievements of this Chair and its application have been made known in the company to prevent musculoskeletal injuries of workers. Likewise, the signing of the renewal of the agreement for the next two years has taken place.
The event was attended by Jesús Divassón, general director of Labor of the Government of Aragon; Noelia Carbó, director of the Aragonese Institute of Occupational Safety and Health; Fernando Gil, general director of BSH Electrical Appliances Spain; Guillermo de Vílchez, managing director of Mutua MAZ, and Silvia Carrascal, rector of the San Jorge University.
The general director of Labor of the Government of Aragon, Jesus Divasson, has stressed that “it is an honor to be in an event of these characteristics, since it is very the occupational health of workers is important. In the Government of Aragon we know the importance of chairs and how important it is to maintain them over time, something that they have worked very well from this Healthy Company Chair”.
FRUITIFUL COLLABORATION OF BSH ELECTRODOMESTICOS, USJ AND MUTUA MAZ
In his introduction, the general director of BSH Electrical Appliances Spain, Fernando Gil, has highlighted the relevance it has for the company implement injury prevention initiatives. “Addressing these disorders not only improves the quality of life for workers, but also has significant business benefits. At BSH, almost 1 in 3 workers take sick leave due to musculoskeletal conditions and 55% of sick days are caused by this cause.”
In the specific case of BSH, musculoskeletal conditions cause almost 30% of sick leave processes and 55% of days absent from work on average. For this reason, the company has had a strategic occupational health and safety plan since 2003 and in 2013 the Healthy Company Chair was included in that plan. The company has managed to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and keep the absence figures stable for this reason, even though the average age of the workforce has increased by 7 years in this period.
The physiocoaching project, derived from the Chair, was selected in 2022 by the European Health and Safety Agency to represent Spain in the European Awards for good practices.
As the head of Occupational Health at BSH points out, José Antonio Villalba, “Workers are the cornerstone of any organization. We spend almost a third of our lives at work and companies have a duty and responsibility to ensure that the work environment is as safe and healthy as possible.” Likewise, adds Villalba, “it is a pride to celebrate ten years of this Chair, a pioneer in Spain, through which we try to promote a healthier model in our industry and in society in general.”
Mutua MAZ, since the origin of the Chair, has made appropriate technological resources available to it with the commitment to help improve occupational health through prevention, “As Mutua, it is in our DNA to provide the best possible treatment.”, through knowledge, research, innovation and a great human team. The Chair allows us to delve deeper into the most relevant pathologies from the workplace and provide tools that help us improve the health of our workers,” he noted. Belén Lacárcel, medical officer of Professional Contingency of Mutua MAZ.
Next, the managing director of Mutua MAZ, Guillermo de Vílchez, has highlighted that “in these ten years of life of the Chair, the number of sick leave processes in Spain, adding professional contingency and common contingency, has gone from 4 million to more than 9, when the number of Social Security affiliates has gone from 16 to 21 million. Work accidents with sick leave have gone from 482,000 to 625,000. Everything we do to prevent workplace accidents and absenteeism is little.“.
For its part, from the San Jorge University, its rector, Silvia Carrascal, has pointed out that “for the San Jorge University, as an educational entity whose main purpose is transmission, the chairs are one of the main pillars to promote relationships between companies and promote to society a transmission of the cutting-edge of research and knowledge. In this case, when an initiative like the Empresa Sana chair turns ten years old, there is clear evidence that the relationship between Universidad San Jorge, MAZ and BSH is not only going very well, but that its results guarantee a significant impact on research. and an open window to introduce improvements that significantly impact the work and personal health and well-being of employees and to also fulfill another of the main functions: the purpose and impact that it also has on society, its transfer.
The Healthy Business Chair has provided the San Jorge University with “an opportunity to face real day-to-day problems of companies, designing and carrying out research projects that validate solutions to improve the quality of life of workers,” he said. explained responsible for the Chair, Vanessa Bataller. The results of these studies have been able to be implemented in the company, “which gives us great satisfaction that in addition to being disseminated, the results can be implemented in the work environment,” Bataller concluded.
“HEALTHY COMPANY” APP
As a result of another of the research studies, A manual of specific exercises has been prepared, according to the movements required by each job, which is available in a free App created for mobile phones called “Empresa Sana”. Through this application, each employee, regardless of their job position, can learn the appropriate physical exercises that will allow them to reduce the overload produced by the tasks they perform.
PIONEER STUDY ON WORKPLACE PODIATRY IN BSH MONTAÑANA
On this day, in addition, it has been possible to see how it is developing andThe latest study evaluating people’s footprints who work in sustained standing. And this year, the Chair has initiated an investigation into occupational podiatry, for which there is no precedent in Spain, and in which almost a thousand workers in the BSH El Appartements factory in Montañana will be able to voluntarily participate.
To this end, BSH is carrying out a footprint study and a 3D foot scanner on factory employees who work in a sustained standing position to identify and analyze foot types (cavus, flat, neutral) and study the ideal work footwear for each one, as well as the possibility of using specific templates. Subsequently, a representative sample of workers who present anatomical anomalies will participate in another study that will assess the benefits that the use of comfort insoles can offer in these cases.
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