The TUC is today urging employers to use their legal powers to
inspect their workplace for the risks of RSI. The symptoms include
pain and immobility in the joints, nerves and muscles from the
fingers to the neck.
Last year, 5.4 million days were lost in sick leave due to RSI,
and every day, six workers left their jobs forever because of RSI,
even though if caught early enough it can be treated by changing
the way work and workplaces are arranged, or by physiotherapy.
About a third of workers with RSI are under 45, and just over half
(55%, or 276,000) are women.
Employers should be aware of their potential liability for
failing to deal with RSI in the workplace. A few years ago, a court
ordered Barclays Bank to pay compensation of £244,000 to a former
employee who was forced to give up work as a result of pain in her
right hand. Fiona Conaty had worked as a bank clerk and argued that
a defective work station caused her to carry out keyboard work with
an unsuitable posture. Her symptoms developed over 2 years, after
which time Miss Conaty was unable to tie her shoes or even comb her
hair. She was only 28 years old at the time of the case.
The TUC guidance highlights the main factors at work which cause
RSI, namely repetitive work, working posture, use of force and
vibration. Safety reps are being asked to inspect their workplace
on International RSI Awareness Day, which falls on the last day of
February every year (because it is the only non-repeating date in
the calendar - sometimes it's 28th February, sometimes it's
29th).
