Fit for Work is an initiative based on groundbreaking studies, conducted across more than 30 countries in Europe and beyond, which examined the impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) on an individuals ability to work and therefore the impact on economies and society as a whole.

In 2007, The Work Foundation published UK research which demonstrated that improvements in early intervention, treatment and return to work practices could help people of working age, with even severe MSDs, stay in work.

It found that there were often real health benefits associated with staying in, or returning to, work but that many employers, clinicians and even employees felt that temporary or permanent withdrawal from employment was the only option.

On 30 September 2010, the Fit for Work Europe Coalition was launched in Brussels.

The European Coalition is a multi-stakeholder pan-European platform that brings together diverse mix of stakeholders, aiming to impress upon policymakers and relevant stakeholders the importance of early detection, prevention and management of MSDs in the workplace, to place MSDs on the priority list of policy makers at EU and national level, and to improve the clinical, employer and related approaches for managing MSDs.