Nearly half of everyone employed across the European Union is exposed to conditions that put their mental health at risk on the job. That figure, from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), sits behind a continent-wide push running from 19 to 24 October 2026 — the European Week for Safety and Health at Work — which this year makes psychological wellbeing its centrepiece.
The week doubles as the launch pad for a fresh EU-OSHA campaign built around the idea that mental health at work is something to be fostered collectively. It is scheduled to run through 2028.
What the survey data shows
EU-OSHA’s “Puls BHP” European survey paints a stark picture of day-to-day strain. Among the employees questioned, 37 percent reported chronic exhaustion. A further 29 percent said they contend with work-related stress, anxiety or
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To help employers spot and head off psychosocial hazards, the agency is offering free information materials and webinars.
Its programme zeroes in on five areas: carrying out systematic risk assessments of psychological strain; action against harassment and violence; and examining how physical factors — noise or isolation, for instance — affect mental health. Targeted support for health and social care staff, plus structured plans for returning to work after mental illness, round out the priorities.
Events stretch from Białystok to Brescia
Safety authorities and accident insurance bodies across Europe have laid on a dense schedule of specialist events to mark the opening. Poland’s Wojewódzka Stacja Sanitarno-Epidemiologiczna in Białystok was among those flagging the 19–24 October 2026 dates.
Italy’s accident insurance institute, INAIL, is running broad programmes in several regions. Lombardy opens on 19 October with an event at the Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, drawing INAIL general director Marcello Fiori, health minister Orazio Schillaci, and representatives of the region, the INPS social insurance body and the social partners.
A technical conference on occupational diseases takes place in Pavia the same day. Later in the week come sessions on chemical risks and ergonomics in Crema on 20 October, and on heat stress in construction in Vercelli on 23 October.
In Piedmont, the “Asti Sìcura” initiative runs from 19 to 23 October alongside the European effort. Partners including the Province of Asti, the local health authority ASL AT and the local INAIL office are hosting seminars on psychosocial risks and workplace health promotion.
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Veneto regional councillor Gino Gerosa opens a workplace safety conference in Venice on 19 October. And ASST Spedali Civili Brescia used the same week to stress the importance of systematic prevention, proper use of protective equipment and consistent reporting of hazards.
