Staff within home care services report twice as many workplace accidents with sick leave and occupational diseases as all industries on average.
Staff testify to a stressful work environment with minute-controlled schedules, unhealthy workload, but also threats and ergonomic problems. More than half of those surveyed have in the latest work environment survey responded that they never or rarely have the opportunity to recover during the workday.
Many cannot work full-time, 55 percent also state that they probably will not be able to work until the desired retirement age – at the same time as more and more people in the population are getting older and require help.
Has become worse over time
To address the problem, the Work Environment Authority, together with the Social Insurance Agency, is now launching a comprehensive supervision effort that will last for a year.
We have seen over time that the work environment has become worse, says Malin Cato, project leader at the Work Environment Authority's inspection department.
The inspections will take place in both municipal and private organizations.
But mainly municipal. Our goal is to reach 25 percent of all workplaces in a municipality. If we find deficiencies, we will be able to direct the inspections towards higher management or administration.
We will let the management describe how the routines look and if we find deficiencies, we will make demands for measures based on the existing rules.
Long-term perspective
Malin Cato hopes that the supervision effort will lead to the work environment in home care services being highlighted in a way that it is not currently.
It is important that these issues come to the table. Home care is part of the welfare system. I hope that we can ensure that they will work with these questions in the long run, so that it does not just become quick fixes in the short term, she says.
51 percent of surveyed home care staff have responded that they rarely or never have the opportunity to recover during the workday through breaks or pauses.
55 percent have responded that they probably will not be able to work until the desired retirement age.
45 percent have responded that they have risked ending up in insecure or threatening situations during the past twelve months.
80 percent have responded that they have a very or fairly psychologically demanding job.
41 percent have responded that they have been exposed to violence or threats at work.
Source: Work Environment Authority.
