The Tip of the Iceberg

It has recently been estimated by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) that there are over 150,000 people each year suffering symptoms of repetitive strain injury (RSI) or work related upper limb disorder (WRULD) in the UK.

But in the past year there have been only 3,000 people managing to make a successful case for compensation. For every person who wins compensation for RSI there are another 50 suffering in silence, according to the TUC. Therefore the number of workers receiving compensation for RSI is believed to be the tip of the iceberg, compared with the number actually suffering.

According to the TUC, British business loses £1 billion a year through loss of production and skilled workers. Most compensation awards include only £2,500 - £7,500 for ‘pain and suffering’ in addition to loss of earnings and the cost of future care.

The workers known to be most at risk are those on small assembly lines (for example, doing rapid packaging or food processing) and those using a keyboard and/or mouse (such as typists, journalists and office workers). In a recent Health and Safety Executive study (quoted by the Labour research department), it was found that there was a particularly high prevalence of these disorders among keyboard users. In the study almost 55% of the workers had had problems with RSI at some time, and 49% had experienced symptoms in the past three months. As well as costing business dearly, RSI or WRULD can affect individuals’ lives causing much pain, disability and could possibly even put an end to their chosen career.

Much of the suffering and cost is avoidable through good workplace design, teaching employees how to set up their workstations correctly, encouraging good working practice, such as regular breaks or periods of different work, and providing prompt rehabilitation for workers reporting symptoms. Moreover, it is now well recognized that factors such as work rate, a lack of control over the process, tight deadlines and other factors causing mental stress for operators can also increase the likelihood of an operator developing RSI or WRULD.

Sue Mackenzie