Employers are under a statutory duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of staff at work. One such duty extends to protecting staff against musculoskeletal disorders being caused or made worse by work. They range from minor temporary aches and pains to long-term bodily conditions affecting mobility and dexterity. According to the World Health Organisation, 1.7 billion people are affected by it worldwide. Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain being the single leading cause of disability in 160 countries. With an ageing population in the UK, it is predicted that this trend will increase.
What are musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s)?
Musculoskeletal conditions typically involve pain (often persistent) in various parts of the body which affect a person’s mobility, dexterity, and overall ability to function properly, thereby reducing a person’s ability to work. In some cases, people are forced to retire early on medical grounds.
Musculoskeletal conditions include conditions that affect:
- Joints, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis.
- Bones, such as osteoporosis, osteopenia and associated fragility fractures, traumatic fractures.
- Muscles, such as sarcopenia.
- The spine, such as back and neck pain.
- Multiple body areas or systems, such as regional and widespread pain disorders and inflammatory diseases such as connective tissue diseases and vasculitis that have musculoskeletal manifestations, for example systemic lupus erythematosus.
Causes of MSD’s
Various factors can cause or contribute to the rise of MSD’s, ranging from posture, workspace arrangements to the local workplace environment. Commonly (but not exhaustively), the following are the major causes:
- bending, crouching, or stooping
- lifting heavy or bulky loads
- pushing, pulling, or dragging heavy loads
- stretching, twisting, and reaching
- repetitive work, particularly using the same hand or arm action
- sustained or excessive force
- carrying out a task for a long time
- work with display screen equipment
- working with hand-held power tools for a long time
- driving heavy vehicles, long-distance driving or driving over rough ground
What can be done to prevent these?
As employers have a duty to safeguard the safety of their staff, they should consult the staff, carry out annual assessments under the Display Screen Equipment Regulations (DSE) (called the Self-Assessment Questionnaire), where staff can highlight concerns about their computer equipment, suitability of their chair, their work desk, lighting, space, and ventilation. When issues are raised, employers should investigate the matter, and where necessary take appropriate action. Employees can help themselves by carrying out simple stretching exercises at their workstations. Additionally, simple actions can alleviate problems – changing the posture, re-arranging the workstation, re-positioning their screen or simply clearing up clutter around their area to allow freedom of movement. Where necessary, appropriate training can be given on manual handling, DSE etc.
Readers are advised to contact Quest and speak to one of our health and safety advisors who can offer initial guidance on 01455 852028.
