Abstract
The report has drawn together knowledge from an extensive set of sources. These include the contemporary scientific literature, the views of an international expert scientific panel, current practice, employer and employee representatives and a number of official authorities from member states of the European Union (EU). The need for EU consensus regarding diagnostic criteria is identified. Size of the problem across EU member states has been reported. Understanding of the biological mechanisms of WRULDs varies greatly and it is dependent on the specific disorder. A strong positive relationship between some WRULDs and the performance of work, especially where workers were highly exposed to workplace risk factors is noted. Identifying workers in the extreme exposure categories should become a priority for any preventative strategy. Current scientific knowledge and existing general advice in European health and safety directives, etc., already provide some strategies for preventing WRULDs. Further action is suggested.
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