• Home 
|
•  Personal 
|
•  Corporate 
|
•  Intermediaries 
|
•  About us 
|
•  My Westfield 
|
•  News 
|
•  Contact us

Businesses strained by injuries

It costs the UK economy £300m a year in lost working time, sick pay and administration and the number of cases is rising, but why isn’t more being done to prevent repetitive strain injury?

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that there were 115,000 new cases of repetitive strain injury (RSI) in 2007 – up from 86,000 the year before.

RSI is a musculoskeletal disorder covering a range of often work-related upper limb problems, affecting the hands, wrists, necks, arms and upper back.

The problem can affect workers across a range of sectors and occupations, for example office workers who use computers constantly, builders and painters. And there is concern from leading experts that not enough is being done to protect workers.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy believes the problem has not been taken seriously enough in the past and has called on the Government and businesses to tackle the matter in a bid to stop the number of cases rising further.

A major concern is the fact that RSI is almost entirely avoidable given the correct preventive measures.

Both employers and employees need to be aware of the problems that RSI can cause and the best methods of not only ridding the workplace of the complaint, but also stopping it before it has even started.

The society has called on the Government to promote the use of occupational health therapists in the workplace to help combat the growing problem.

Businesses also need to make sure that staff have regular breaks from work. It is better to have a series of shorter breaks, rather than one long break in the middle of the day.

Some workplaces, such as call centres and offices, regularly carry out risk assessments to highlight the best ways of tackling the problem. Everything from the height of the worker’s chair, the distance the keyboard is from your body to the height of the monitor is analysed and monitored to prevent aches and pains developing.

The most important thing is that employers should make sure their staff have regular training and understand the potential risks involved with certain tasks, such as using a computer all day.

There are steps employees could take themselves to prevent RSI. Staff should try to avoid prolonged or repetitive duties, use both hands for tasks and keep warm to avoid strains, as cold muscles can’t stretch as easily.

Employers can also do their bit by providing a health cash plan to enable their staff to claim back the cost of healthcare treatments such as physiotherapy and osteopathy, which can help to combat back pain and RSI.

back to latest news