ERGO WORK

ERGO WORK – Joining academia and business for new opportunities in creating

ERGOnomic WORK places

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SYSTEM AND POLICY MAKERS

Work package 7: Exploitation and Sustainability Plan

Deliverable: D43. Recommendations for the System and Policy makers

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the

author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Project no.: 539892-LLP-1-2013-1-SI-ERASMUS-EKA

Grant Agreement no.: 2013-3750/001-001

Project Title: ERGO WORK – Joining academia and business for new opportunities in creating ERGOnomic

WORK places

Programme: Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus

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1 DOCUMENT CONTROL

1.1 Document history

Date Version Change Author

16.01.2015 0.1 Initial version P10

22.01.2015 0.2 Review and comments by All at meeting in Salamanca

P10 +P1, P2, P4

19.03.2015 0.3 Implementation of suggested changes

P10

1.5.2015 0.4 Review and comments by the Coordinator

P1

1.6.2015 Final EN for translations Implementation of coordinator’s suggestions

Author P10

15.6.2015 Final draft 1 for release

Translations into SI, PL, ES, IT

P1, P4, P8, P9

1.7.2015 0.6 Review and comments by EASPD (P10) standing committee

EASPD Standing Committee for Employment

5.7.2015 0.7 Evaluation by PMG & Evaluator

PMG (Project Management Group) & External evaluator

10.7.2015 Final EN Implementation of final suggested changes

Author P10

23.7.2015 Final in EN, SI, PL, ES, IT Translation of amendments into SI, PL, ES, IT

P1, P4, P8, P9

1.2 Document distribution list All members of ERGO WORK project group and relevant stakeholders.

1.3 Document location Latest version of the document is available at: DROPBOX, ERGO WORK 2013\WP7_Sustainability\

D43_recommendations to the system and policy makers

1.4 Document privacy

Project team The Agency Public

yes yes yes

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1.5 Table of Contents

1 Document control .......................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Document history ................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Document distribution list ...................................................................................................... 1

1.3 Document location ................................................................................................................. 1

1.4 Document privacy................................................................................................................... 1

1.5 Table of contents .................................................................................................................... 2

2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3

3 ERGO WORK project overview ....................................................................................................... 4

4 Key findings of ERGO WORK in-depth analysis for improving curricula ergonomics ...................... 4

5 Key factors enabling equal employment opportunities and quality work environment for persons

with disabilities ...................................................................................................................................... 5

5.1 Disability & employment ........................................................................................................ 5

5.2 Education and vocational training .......................................................................................... 6

6 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 6

6.1 Recommendations to the European Commission and the European Parliament ................... 7

6.2. Recommendations to the national authorities in the piloting countries ................................ 8

7 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................. 10

8 ANNEX I. Summarized recommendations for multidisciplinary curriculum ergonomics ............ 11

9 LEGAL DISCLAIMER ....................................................................................................................... 12

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2 INTRODUCTION

Reducing unemployment is one the main priorities set by the European Union’s Europe 2020

strategy. In order to achieve smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, it will be necessary to facilitate

the participation of people of all ages and skill levels in the labour market. It is important to note that

different people have different needs, but the needs of some groups are not always met in the open

labour market. In order to avoid the social exclusion of such groups, it is important to take extra

measures to accommodate their needs. The current paper looks specifically into the ways in which the

needs of workers with disabilities can be met in the context of workplace ergonomics1.

If we take into account that people are all different, the need for individual ergonomic support in the

workplace becomes a necessity. Employees carry special ergonomic needs due to their disability, age

or other specific personal conditions. The aging population and the increasing period of employment

contribute to a growing number of employees with special needs either with special visual, hearing,

physical or other needs. Holistic ergonomic approach at companies supports these human factors and

the increasing diversity of employees, and as such contributes to the economic efficiency of the

company. It is recognized that ergonomic measures minimize absence from work (less injures, less

work related diseases), and increase satisfaction and efficiency of employees. Taking all these into

account, intensive campaigns focused on decision makers inside organisations/companies need to be

promoted, supported and initiated.

Based on the findings of studies conducted as part of the European Union-funded ERGO WORK project,

namely the deliverables “Recommendations for Multidisciplinary Curriculum Ergonomics” (Summary

of these recommendations may be found in Annex I) and “Report on In-depth Analysis,” this paper

provides a list of recommendations to system and policy makers on improving workplace ergonomics

for people with disabilities. In addition, the document takes into account in-depth discussions with

experts from the Standing Committees on Employment and Education of the European Association of

Service Providers for People with Disabilities (EASPD). The recommendations aim to provide a

contribution to the future development and innovation of the open labour market in the partner

countries of the ERGO WORK project and throughout the European Union. In the debate about

disability, quality of life should always be at the core of every decision regardless of the field. It is of

utmost importance to recognise that in the open labour market every person has different support

needs and different goals in his or her life and individual choice should be fostered and respected as

much as possible.

The employment of people with disabilities is an important policy topic that has been regularly brought

up on the international arena.

The Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others.

The European Commission addresses labour market issues in the framework of the European Semester by asking Member States to develop additional support measures for the

1 According to the International Ergonomics Association, ergonomics is “the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a (work) system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well being and overall (work) system performance.”

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unemployed; in particular those most excluded from the labour market (young people, elderly, disadvantaged groups, persons with disabilities). European Semester is a governance instrument that aims to ensure a better coordination between EU Member States and the European Commission to successfully achieve the EU’s strategies and targets.

The European Disability Strategy (2010-2020) aims to improve the social inclusion and well-being of people with disabilities by enabling them to fully exercise their rights.

The Employment Equality Directive 2000/78/EC fights against age and disability discrimination in employment.

3 ERGO WORK PROJECT OVERVIEW

ERGO WORK – Joining academia and business for new opportunities in creating ERGOnomic WORK

places is a European project launched in October 2013 under the Lifelong Learning Programme

(Erasmus). It aims to improve the ergonomic design of jobs and workplaces for people with disabilities.

The project promotes knowledge, skills and “social cohesion” in order to create reasonable

accommodation at work for all employees, including people with disabilities. A total of 10 partners

from six countries - Slovenia, Poland, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Belgium – are involved in ERGO

WORK.

The project is founded on the view that the labour market can significantly benefit from greater

inclusion of people with disabilities. It holds that the multidisciplinary field of Ergonomics can help and

support inclusion through improved design and adaptation of workplace to cater for diverse needs.

The long-term objective of the project is to set the foundation for a systematic and sustainable

cooperation between Academia and Business and all other relevant stakeholders in Ergonomics for

persons with disabilities in order to foster Reasonable Accommodation at work. The project as a whole

aims to update the existing Ergonomics teaching contents at partner universities, particularly in Poland

and Slovenia.

As part of one of the project’s work packages, the partners developed the “Recommendations for

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Ergonomics” based on a study entitled “In-depth Analysis of existing

Curricula Ergonomics”. The study produced important findings on the existing Curricula in partner

countries in the field of Ergonomics and specifically showed how different study programmes, subjects,

teaching contents, or modules address: a) Multidisciplinary issues – which disciplines are included or

need to be; b) needs of people with disabilities– how well specific contents on ‘adapted workplace

design’ are represented within the curriculum.

4 KEY FINDINGS OF ERGO WORK IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS FOR IMPROVING CURRICULA

ERGONOMICS

An in-depth analysis of Ergonomics curricula taught by 17 faculties from 13 higher education institution

from 6 countries (focussing on the UK, Slovenia and Poland) has revealed the following findings (ERGO

WORK, 2015):

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- Curricula for Ergonomics programmes need to include following topics in order to

accommodate the needs of people with disabilities at work: inclusive design; empathetic

methods of design; introduction to organizational behaviour; assistive technology knowledge;

and accessible environments knowledge.

- Awareness should be raised among students of various needs of people with disabilities in

general, rather than placing the focus on specific groups and their needs.

- Empathic skills are crucial in raising students’ awareness in relation to people with disabilities.

Empathic skills can be taught through practical work, for example, by using a wheelchair or

glasses that simulate a disability. This way, students can empathise with the user experience

and design accordingly.

- Teaching content about mental health needs, including stress, depression and schizophrenia,

is rare in the curricula covered by the study. There is a need to include more knowledge on the

aspect of mental disability in relation to workplace ergonomics for people with disabilities.

- Workplace intervention in Ergonomics courses is not always related to the needs of people

with disabilities at workplace. In theory, such needs are included in Ergonomics training, but

the practical application is rare.

- Knowledge sharing in terms of the tools used by training programmes can improve the

effectiveness of teachings.

- It is important to use the knowledge and practices developed within other disciplines, for

example, organisational and occupational psychology. The needs of people with disabilities at

workplace should not be covered only through the physical design of the working

environment. Adaptation can be made also in terms of scheduling, type of work, daily tasks,

etc.

5 KEY FACTORS ENABLING EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND QUALITY WORK

ENVIRONMENT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

5.1 Disability & employment

- The labour market should develop inclusive environments meeting the demands of persons

with various support needs, ranging from low to high levels of assistance.

- All forms of employment should be equally valued according to their role in social, health and

employment policies.

- Discrimination on the basis of disability should be legislated against.

- Free choice of work in the preferred environment should be respected.

- All forms of employment for persons with disabilities should address their individual needs

and respect their abilities.

- Employment of persons with disabilities in the private sector should be promoted through appropriate policies and measures, which may include affirmative action programmes, incentives and other measures;

- Reasonable accommodation and universal workplace design is crucial in providing real access

to work and employment positions. Not only tools and/or adaptations may be needed to

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perform job-tasks, but also the availability of human support and support services could

overcome barriers faced in the working environment. The reasonable accommodation and

workplace design concepts should be fully implemented in the labour market to allow people

with disabilities to have concrete chances to find and to keep a job in the labour market.

- Support must be made available in all phases of working life (recruitment, retention and end

of work).

- Vocational and professional rehabilitation, job retention and return-to-work programmes

should be in place for persons with disabilities.

- Cross-sectorial cooperation between all stakeholders working in the field of disability,

ergonomics, workplace design and employment is essential to establish sound support

frameworks and to identify and tackle any issue with an adequate response.

- Accessibility and universal design should be given a broad definition to cover all types of

disability. Accessibility of the workplace and accessible transport is the first step to enable

access to the labour market.

- Support for employers to create their own Corporate Social Responsibility plans and

implement ergonomic workplaces is an essential part of improving access to work and

employment for persons with disabilities.

5.2 Education and vocational training

- People with disabilities should have effective access to general technical and vocational

guidance programmes, placement services and vocational and continuing training.

- Vocational education and training (VET) programmes should be adapted to the needs of

persons with disabilities; persons with disabilities should be involved and trained as educators

when possible.

- The concepts of reasonable accommodation, workplace design and ergonomics should be part

of the curricula in VET and higher education for students in different fields of study such as

Psychology, Engineering and Occupational Health.

- New learning methods, teaching methods and contents about Ergonomics should be made

available and mainstreamed in VET and higher education. Cooperation between educational

institutes is crucial.

6 RECOMMENDATIONS

As stated in Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European

Union’s 2020 Strategy, employment and job opportunities are a key priority for all Governments in

Europe. Although mainly a policy area that belongs to the competence of Member States, it is also of

relevance to the European Union, which acts as coordinator, initiator and innovator.

While it is recognised that employment on the open labour market is the preferred option, it should

be also acknowledged that many people with disabilities are in other labour schemes for reasons

depending on different support needs and/or because of a lack of adequate structures in the open

labour market.

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EU Member States have developed work and employment schemes according to their respective

historical background of disability care and support. According to its specific framework, each Member

State has developed its range of structures and programmes as well as its own definitions - hardly

comparable as they imply different concepts.

The multi-level approach towards policy making in the area of employment for people with disabilities

makes it essential to address decision-makers both on national and supranational levels. The current

article provides separate sets of recommendations for targeting these groups.

6.1 Recommendations to the European Commission and the European Parliament

Inclusion of people with disabilities in the open labour market is a high-priority objective for Europe.

Addressing special needs of disabled employees through tailored ergonomic solutions and workplace

adjustments is one of the ways in which this objective can be achieved. Therefore, the European

Commission (EC) and the European Parliament need to take the lead in stimulating fully inclusive

employment conditions in Member States. Based on the outcomes of the ERGO Work project, and

taking into account the EASPD Employment Declaration 2014, the following set of recommendations

for the European Union (European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Commission)

has been developed.

The EU should promote the development of employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the framework of the European Employment Directive and the European social dialogue.

The EU should extend the spectrum of employment opportunities for people with disabilities in terms of Public Procurement. The European Social Fund and the opportunities given by the General Block Exemption Regulation can also be used to develop ergonomic working environments for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the European Commission should encourage Member States to use structural funds for developing fully inclusive workplaces.

The EU need to encourage better European collaboration and transfer of knowledge and practices in the field of ergonomics and workplace adjustment for people with disabilities. It is crucial to identify and to promote models of good practice with regard to policies and approaches providing adapted workplaces and workplace design.

A further development of a European Network in the field of workplace ergonomics for people with disabilities is an important element for strengthening the collaboration among European countries. Hence, a stakeholder network that focuses on structural relations between stakeholders at local, regional, national and European levels needs to be further developed and financed. At the EU level, the network would ideally include, in addition to political authorities, service providers, academia representatives, workplace design and ergonomic developers, employers, chambers of commerce, trade unions, expert associations, boards and consultancies, etc.

It is further recommended to foster the training of professionals specialized in ergonomic solutions for people with disabilities. Specifically, it is crucial to promote multidisciplinary ergonomics curricula in universities, with the focus on inclusive design, accessible design and universal design. Specialists with specific knowledge in the fields of ergonomics and workplace design for people with disabilities are essential for creating adapted working environments.

The Erasmus+ programme should tackle the promotion and the development of training opportunities for ergonomics specialists focused on the needs of people with disabilities.

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It should support the accessibility of training about workplace adjustments for people with all types of disabilities.

The full potential of the ‘flexicurity approach’ - flexible employment schemes - should be used and promoted. This approach aims at tailor-made job opportunities addressing the needs and abilities of people with disabilities while providing them with the needed security, including flexible social protection schemes.

Instruments to collect accurate and comparable data on employment and on the situation of people with disabilities in employment must be developed. A close cooperation with Eurostat is needed, and a closer cooperation with researchers and the academic world should be put in place, especially regarding Ergonomics. Data collection should add value for employers when implementing ergonomic workplaces. The data should be used to influence employers and to raise awareness.

In order to have a clear overview of the needs of people with disabilities in terms of employment, it is crucial to involve the representatives of the disability sector and the academic world in political consultations on relevant topics. The European Commission needs to consider the impact of any European policy on related schemes for people with disability.

As part of the EC’s efforts to tackle long-term unemployment, it is important to pay specific attention to the long-term unemployment of people with disabilities and consider ergonomic improvements as a solution to tackle this problem.

The European Social Fund should also be used for ensuring employment opportunities for people with disabilities through improving reasonable accommodation and accessibility at work.

Provide training and information sessions for young people with disabilities seeking employment about workplace ergonomics through the EU Youth Guarantee Programme.

6.2. Recommendations to the national authorities in the piloting countries

While the European Union recognized employment and social policy as a priority sphere, these fields

remain a Member State competence. Therefore, the issue of inclusion of people with disabilities in

employment also needs to be addressed at national level. Following is the set of recommendations for

the national authorities in piloting countries:

In order to ensure and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, a legal framework is

always fundamental. Therefore, the partnership recommends that the Member States

promote a legal framework guaranteeing adapted and fully accessible workplaces of high

quality.

A top down approach needs to be adopted, ensuring that decision makers (on national and

corporative levels) gain awareness and initiate the internal ergonomic changes.

It is also necessary to raise awareness among employers, human resources managers, non-

disabled employees and the public in general about specific needs of people with disabilities.

Improvements need to be made in terms of information and overall culture at workplaces.

Employers need to be aware of their obligations and of different types of disabilities that

require greater tailoring of workplace adaptation. The general awareness of the topics of

ergonomic design, universal design, inclusive design and accessible design needs to be raised

through involvement of experts and training. Specialised trainings and seminars need to be

financially supported by relevant Policy and System makers (Ministries, Local and Regional

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Authorities), and/or organised within the scope of work of Chambers of Commerce, Trade

Unions, Public Consultancy Bodies etc.

In addition, better information is also needed for the disabled employees. They need to be

aware of their rights, of EU provisions for meeting their needs, and of what adaptations are

possible to facilitate them. It would be useful to launch a campaign targeting their associations

in order to spread this type of information.

Furthermore, more research needs to be done into assistive technology and accessible

environment solutions, as well as into specific needs of disabled people, particularly in areas

often neglected in workplace design. These include mental health needs and intellectual

disability. In addition, better knowledge is needed about adaptations that go beyond purely

physical adaptations to buildings. There is more scope for adaptations to individual work areas,

furniture, environment, IT equipment, software, and attitude training, to allow people with

disabilities to do jobs without the need for changes in role, hours or pacing.

Policies based on ‘career thinking’ as a precondition for sustainable employment should be

developed, because employment is not only about finding a job. It is essential to build up a

new Life-long Learning strategy as a very important step forward, including adapted

workplaces and workplace design strategies. Sustainable and inclusive employment is only

possible when Life-long Learning is organised and implemented in such a way that people with

disabilities can benefit from it.

Sustainable employment of people with disabilities needs to be facilitated by providing

incentives for employers to hire disabled people, and to cover the costs linked to adjusting the

workplace, not only on a legislative level, but also on actual implementation level, being

flexible in setting conditions by which the employers receive funding, evaluating impact of

undertaken measures and improving the system if necessary. Pilot countries should also

provide information to employers about possibilities to receive subsidies to make adaptations.

A Working Group for Ergonomics (WGE) and/or an Ergonomics Coordinator need to be

promoted in the companies in order to establish an operational approach with close

cooperation with the management on one hand, and employees on the other.

A top down “Risk list” needs to be promoted for each company, specifying priority, level of

danger, frequency etc. and being based on a detailed annual evaluation of previous accidents,

injuries, reasons for absence from work, on work assessment, and efficiency assessment.

Active involvement of employees in ergonomic improvements at the work should be

promoted, as employees know their workplace the most. Regular evaluation with

questionnaires, interviews, individual workplace plans etc. should be implemented.

National authorities should also promote the establishment of (supported employment)

agencies that assist employers in adapting the workplace, coaching, job design, job creation

and all other services required to support people with disabilities in employment. In addition,

the Member States should provide financial means for supported employment schemes to

enable them to exchange models of good practice in order to fulfil their role as a bridge

between labour demand and supply. It is also necessary to note that better publicity is needed

for organizations working with people with disabilities.

Standardisation in educating, designing and employing ergonomic principles should be

promoted. Chambers of Commerce, Trade Unions, Expert associations, boards, and

consultancies need to be encouraged to intensify actions towards standardisation. Existing

oversee standards can be used as guidelines, for example US OSHA standard (www.osha.gov).

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Employment and career prospects for people with disabilities in the labour market could

clearly be improved by opening up the public sector at local, regional and national levels. The

public sector needs to set an example by providing adapted and accessible workplaces for

persons with disabilities. A specialised agency might be needed to help public employers

introduce disability-friendly solutions in workplace design.

To achieve these goals, Member States should include in their Action Plans measures to

combat discrimination and social exclusion. Plans with clear targets should be set and achieved

on the reduction of unemployment rates and the increase of employment rates of persons

with disabilities through improvement in workplace design and adaptation.

Long-term unemployment among people with disabilities should be tackled. Improvements in workplace ergonomic should be seen as an instrument to tackle this issue.

The European Social Fund should be used for ensuring employment opportunities for people with disabilities through improving reasonable accommodation and accessibility at work.

Provide training and information sessions for young people with disabilities searching for jobs about workplace ergonomics through the EU Youth Guarantee Programme at national level.

7 CONCLUSIONS

The inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market is not possible without ensuring their

ability to physically access their working places. In order to fulfil the provisions of the Article 27 of the

UNCRP on equal employment opportunities, the working environment needs to be adapted to meet

their specific needs and facilitate their day-to-day operations. Ergonomic solutions at workplace can

not only ensure equal opportunities for people regardless of their abilities, but also improve the

economic efficiency of companies. It is clear that universal design at workplace that provides these

equal opportunities is beneficial from many points of view. However, to achieve inclusive employment

opportunities it is crucial to provide specific training to students studying workplace ergonomics.

Specialized training that focuses on the needs of people with disabilities should provide comprehensive

knowledge of the topic area. For this reason, it is important that decision makers on both European

and national levels take the recommendations presented in this article for future policy actions.

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8 ANNEX I. SUMMARIZED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM ERGONOMICS

Summarising the findings of the Report on the In-depth Analysis, ERGO WORK partnership agreed on

the following list of recommendations for developing or improving curriculum content relating to the

needs of people with disabilities in the workplace:

Raise awareness, understanding and empathy among students about the varied needs of people

with disabilities rather than placing the focus on specific ‘groups’ and their needs. This is important

because the needs of people with disabilities are varied and may differ from person to person.

However, some specific groups are less researched and understood in terms of adaptations in the

workplace. Therefore we argue that greater emphasis should be placed on the better

understanding of hearing impairment, mental health needs and intellectual impairment. All of

these are currently poorly covered in the curricula about people with disabilities and workplace

design.

Teach from a perspective of ‘inclusive design’ or ‘universal design’ so that methods can be applied

across different contexts and scenarios.

Ensure all students gain in-depth knowledge on the topic, without limiting the coverage to only

those students who choose projects related to people with disabilities.

Help students develop empathic skills through the use of empathic equipment, case studies and

personas.

Teaching should include some interaction with people with disabilities as part of every student’s

training, including ‘older people’ – this is an essential part of good practice in inclusive design and

Occupational Therapy teaching.

Include more knowledge about mental health needs in the workplace, in particular in relation to

job design and interventions. Material for this will most likely have to be sought in the area of

Occupational Health curricula, as it is rare in Ergonomics and Occupational Therapy curriculum

material.

Place a focus on linking workplace interventions to persons with disabilities needs – currently most

Ergonomics training in relation to the workplace tends to focus on prevention of harm, increasing

efficiency etc. We recommend focusing more on increasing opportunity and enabling people with

disabilities to carry out normal jobs.

There is a need to explore Occupational Health and OT curricula for specific content relating to

persons with disabilities, as it appears that this content was most closely aligned to the aims of the

project and stakeholder needs.

Explore curricula and include knowledge from organisational behaviour and occupational

psychology – this is essential for the success of workplace interventions.

Share knowledge about tools for inclusive design – These include physical tools such as empathy

simulators, and software tools such as hearing and vision simulator software, specialised building

design software and specialised ergonomics anthropometry analysis.

Consider including knowledge about Assistive technology.

Consider including knowledge about Accessible environments.

Consider ultimately seeking accreditation from European Ergonomist (CREE) for any specialised

content that is developed.

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9 LEGAL DISCLAIMER

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

For other languages see: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/publ/graphics/agencies/use-translation.pdf