When Data Becomes the Key to a Healthier Work Environment
Roskilde Municipality & PRECURE – from Gut Feeling to Measurable Ergonomic Insight
How do you create a healthier and more sustainable work environment for 2,500 employees in elderly care and childcare – without increasing the budget?
That was the question Roskilde Municipality asked themselves.
Even with skilled employees and a strong focus on well-being, the municipality faced a familiar challenge:
A sickness absence rate of 6.5%, and growing concern about musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) – especially among staff in physically demanding roles such as home care and daycare.
🔍 From Feelings to Facts
To gain a clearer picture of the actual risks, Roskilde Municipality partnered with PRECURE and implemented our MLI® (Manual Labour Index) – a data-driven method for measuring and understanding ergonomic risk across job functions.
By conducting measurements in both home care and nurseries, the municipality gained objective insights into where the risks actually occur, and which work situations create the greatest strain.
For example, it became clear that tasks such as cleaning (MLI® 5.4) and bathing (MLI® 5.0) in home care, as well as putting children to bed (MLI® 5.1) in nurseries, involved the highest risks – even when employees didn’t yet experience pain.
“We now have concrete topics to discuss regarding ergonomics. We can talk about risk and strain in an objective way – and target our efforts where the need is truly greatest.”
— Miriam Jul, Health & Safety Consultant, Roskilde Municipality
💪 From Insight to Action
Based on the collected data, a series of practical recommendations were developed:
Physical and endurance training
Focus on posture and ergonomic techniques
Smarter use of assistive tools and working heights
Adjustments to routines and workflows
It wasn’t about more rules – but about giving employees understanding and ownership of their own ergonomics.
“It was eye-opening to see how much small habits and postures matter. The data made it clear to everyone – and it’s given us a stronger shared motivation to change behaviour.”
— Pia Lykke Hansen, Health & Safety Representative
📈 Expected Results
Although the full impact study is still ongoing, previous PRECURE projects indicate that with full implementation, Roskilde Municipality can expect:
20% reduction in ergonomic risk
12% reduction in pain
15% lower sickness absence
317% ROI
Estimated annual savings: DKK 1.84 million
🌱 A Step Toward a More Sustainable Public Sector
For Roskilde Municipality, this project is not just about ergonomics – it’s about people, well-being, and sustainable operations.
With a data-driven foundation, they can now work far more precisely and document the value of initiatives that were previously based only on gut feeling.
At PRECURE, we’re proud to support Roskilde Municipality in creating a healthier, more resilient workplace – and to demonstrate how data and technology can deliver real human value.
