The physical work environment: what it covers and what the rules require

What is the physical work environment?

The physical work environment is every physical condition of work that affects the body and health. It applies on a building site, in a warehouse, in a hospital and in an office. The main areas are:

• Ergonomics: lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling, moving people, postures and movements, and repetitive work
• Noise: both noise that damages hearing and disturbing noise, for example from poor acoustics
• Vibration: hand-arm vibration from tools and whole-body vibration from vehicles and machines
• Indoor climate: temperature, draughts, air quality and humidity
• Lighting and layout: light, space, floors and working heights

It sits alongside the psychosocial, chemical and biological work environment and the risk of accidents. In practice the areas interact.

Why is ergonomics the biggest risk?

The part of the physical work environment that affects most people is musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs): pain in the back, neck, shoulders and arms caused or made worse by work. MSDs are the most common work-related health problem in the EU (EU-OSHA). In 2020, 6.0% of workers in the EU had bone, joint or muscle problems caused or made worse by work, more than half of all reported work-related health problems (Eurostat).

The Danish Working Environment Authority points to the same physical risk factors:

• Heavy lifting and carrying, especially loads held far from the body and many lifts a day
• Pushing, pulling and moving people
• Awkward postures, such as a bent or twisted back and work with raised arms
• One-sided and repetitive work
• Long periods of standing or walking, linked to knee pain and long-term sick leave

Several strains at once cause more intense back, neck and shoulder pain. That is why a combined approach works better than removing one risk factor at a time.

What do the rules require?

The employer is responsible for safe and healthy work. In Denmark the requirements are in the Executive Order on systematic work environment management (BEK no. 608 of 29/06/2026), in force from 1 July 2026. It requires a written workplace risk assessment (APV) with:

1. A risk assessment based on a survey of the work environment
2. Sick leave taken into account
3. A written action plan stating each problem’s nature, severity and causes, and when, how and by whom it will be solved
4. Implementation and follow-up

The APV must be revised at least every three years and when the work changes. The health and safety organisation takes part throughout. For ergonomics, the official guidance covers manual handling, postures and movements, and one-sided strenuous work. Read more, including the official red, yellow and green lifting limits, in our guide to ergonomic risk assessment and the APV.

Five steps to a better physical work environment

1. Map the tasks. List the actual tasks, not just job titles. The risk sits in specific lifts, postures and movements.
2. Ask and observe. Combine a questionnaire about pain and discomfort with observation of the tasks employees point to.
3. Assess the risk with official models and link it to sick leave. Which departments and tasks have the most MSD-related absence?
4. Remove strain at the source. Use aids, adjust working heights and reach distances, vary tasks and break up long repetitive sequences. Fit the work to the person, not the other way round.
5. Follow up and measure. Put each problem in the action plan with an owner and a date, and check that the change actually reduced the strain.

The physical work environment in the office

Office work strains the body too, mainly through long periods in the same position and a badly set-up workstation: a screen that is too low, a keyboard too far away or a chair without support. See our advice in the healthy office, or let employees check their own desk with the workplace check.

How Precure helps

Precure is a Danish company that has worked to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders since 2012. We help with the physical work environment in three ways:

• The risk assessment assistant takes you through the steps of a risk assessment, with the employees’ answers and suggestions for the action plan.
• The Ergonomics program measures muscle load and postures with wearable sensors during normal work, prioritises the effort and documents the effect.
• The Individual program helps employees who already have back or arm pain, over six weeks.

Frequently asked questions

What is part of the physical work environment?

Ergonomics (lifting, pushing and pulling, postures and repetitive work), noise, vibration, indoor climate, lighting and the layout of the workplace. Ergonomics is the part that most often causes health problems, because it leads to musculoskeletal disorders.

What is the difference between the physical and the psychosocial work environment?

The physical work environment is about the physical conditions that strain the body. The psychosocial work environment is about workload, time pressure, influence and cooperation. They interact: time pressure and low influence increase the risk of pain in physically demanding work.

Who is responsible for the physical work environment?

The employer is responsible for safe and healthy work. In Denmark the health and safety organisation must take part in the risk assessment from planning to follow-up, and employees should be involved because they know which tasks strain them.

How often must the physical work environment be assessed?

Under Danish rules, in the written risk assessment (APV) at least every three years, and whenever changes to the work, methods or processes affect the work environment.

How do you measure the physical work environment?

Usually with observation, questionnaires and official assessment models such as the Danish red, yellow and green lifting model. Wearable sensors can add measured muscle load and postures over a whole working day.

Shall we talk?

Book a meeting with Søren Würtz to talk about how we can help you and create concrete results in your workplace.

Book a meeting with Søren

Sources

1. Bekendtgørelse om systematisk arbejdsmiljøarbejde (BEK nr. 608 af 29/06/2026), Danish Ministry of Employment, Retsinformation, 2026
2. AT-vejledning om ergonomisk arbejdsmiljø (VEJ nr. 10133 af 01/10/2026), Danish Working Environment Authority, Retsinformation, 2026
3. Pas på kroppen i fysisk arbejde, Danish Working Environment Authority, 2026
4. Introduction to musculoskeletal disorders, EU-OSHA, OSHwiki, 2026
5. Self-reported work-related health problems and risk factors: key statistics, Eurostat, 2020

Written by a physiotherapist. General information, not a diagnosis: see a doctor or physiotherapist about your own pain.