What ESENER asks
The survey covers general OSH management, psychosocial risks, drivers and barriers to action, and worker participation. It enables study of how prevention is organised and the difficulties establishments report.
A response indicates what the interviewee communicated within the survey design. It is not equivalent to a document and field inspection or, by itself, evidence of the effectiveness of a described measure.
Who the 2024 edition represents
The 2024 methodology covers establishments with five or more employees in 30 countries: the EU’s 27 Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It excludes household activities as employers and extraterritorial organisations.
The establishment is the unit of observation and should not automatically be equated with an entire multisite company. A percentage of establishments cannot be interpreted as the same percentage of workers either: establishment sizes differ.
Who responds and what that means
The interviewee is the person most knowledgeable about risk management in the establishment. Their specific role may vary. The design seeks information about management practices, rather than directly gathering every worker’s experience.
ESENER therefore complements research such as the EWCS. A procedure reported by an organisation and an experience reported by an individual offer different perspectives; neither should automatically replace the other.
How to read comparisons
Select the edition, country, sector and size before interpreting results. Methodological documentation explains coverage, selection and fieldwork. The official visualisation tool allows responses to be explored but should be used alongside those definitions.
When comparing editions, check that questions and populations are compatible. A new question or changed response options may prevent a direct trend from being constructed. Percentages should be accompanied by their denominator and an exact description of what they represent.
Applications for OSH professionals
Results may help prepare consultation, contextualise barriers or identify practices worth examining. For example, worker participation in psychosocial risk decisions can be studied.
Comparison should not justify accepting a deficiency because it is common elsewhere. Compliance and the need for measures depend on applicable rules and the organisation’s risks. A widespread practice may still be insufficient for a particular situation.
Hypothetical example: participation in a multisite company
An organisation consults ESENER and decides to review how preventive suggestions are received at its sites. It distinguishes each establishment’s responses and checks whether accessible channels exist on every shift.
The review reveals differences a single headquarters response would have concealed. The survey helped frame the question; improvement is decided using the organisation’s own information and subsequently checked with affected people.
