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Danish word of the day: Arbejdsmiljø

The Local Denmark
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Danish word of the day: Arbejdsmiljø

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR

Today's word has a government agency dedicated to it.

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What is arbejdsmiljø?

The word arbejdsmiljø (work environment) is as Danish as rye bread with liver paté and sliced beetroots, and relates to both the physical and mental affects of a workplace on its staff.

Ensuring safe and healthy working environments is so important that Denmark has a public agency dedicated to the matter.  Work Environment in Denmark, more commonly known as Arbejdstilsynet, is responsible for ensuring that companies and employers follow government policy on work environment and work hours. The authority is part of the Ministry of Employment.

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A safe arbejdsmiljø covers everything from ensuring employers have taken steps to reduce risk of accidents or death in the workplace, to making sure employees are offered desks, chairs and computer equipment to help them carry out their job in an ergonomically comfortable way without risk of injury.

In order to ensure standards are met, companies can take steps such as hiring an occupational therapist as part of offering a good arbejdsmiljø to help their employees with their posture and avoid muscle strain.

Why do I need to know arbejdsmiljø?

The above rights are enshrined in law, protecting rights to annual leave, parental leave, working hours, and the right to a safe working environment.

As such, it's not only a high rate of trade union membership, a healthy work-life balance and provision of annual leave that makes Denmark an enticing place to work. The country's laws should go a long way to ensuring workers are given a fair deal.

Examples

Hvis sundhedsvæsenet skal fungere, skal man sikre sygeplejerskerne et sundt arbejdsmiljø.

If the health service is going to work, we must make sure nurses have a healthy working environment.

Denne dårlige stemning bidrager ikke til et positivt arbejdsmiljø.

This bad atmosphere is not contributing to a positive working environment.

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