Source: theHRDIRECTOR
Date: Summer 2006 

Musculoskeletal disorders: One million people in Britain are affected by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) every year, the most common occupational illness in Great Britain, an estimated 4.9 million working days were lost due to back pain caused or made worse by work in 2003/04.

MSDs are problems such as back pain, joint damage and repetitive strain injuries. They can affect anyone working in any industry. But the good news is that employers can do a lot to prevent them, and to manage the effect they have on employees and their organisation.

What should employers do to prevent MSDs?
Risk assess

• Employers are required by law to carry out risk assessments for all staff. These should be carried out by, or with advice from, a health and safety practitioner.
• Take a thorough look at what every job entails, how people perform it and what they use to do it - staff can make valuable contributions as they may have a better understanding of various roles than you do.

Manage the working environment

• Make sure that staff have the right kit to do their jobs without injuring themselves, and that it is suitable for their size, task and strength.
• Keep equipment up to date and in good condition: chairs, computer screens, desks, machinery and vehicles.

Manage the working tasks

• Can you perform a task in a different way to reduce the chance of MSDs?
• Encourage staff to be active at work and take appropriate breaks.
• Keep employees up to date with training on equipment and how to work safely.

Give the right information

• Train all of your staff in the basics regardless of their role – they should all know how to lift and carry properly, adopt the right posture when sitting and use standard office equipment correctly.
• Communicate your health and safety policy clearly and regularly to staff, and make sure it’s easy to get help if they need to report ill health.
• Make sure everyone knows who is responsible for health and safety issues, what their responsibilities are and who they report to.

Review the situation with staff

• The only way to ensure you’re doing something right is to measure it’s success, so set KPIs and targets for each department in terms of health and safety of staff.
• Tell your employees about your successes and what you are doing to address any failings.
• Ask for honest feedback on policies, and do something with it. Make sure that employees are represented on health and safety forums or committees.

Invest in occupational health support

• If your employees are particularly at risk from developing MSDs, get support from an occupational health professional.
• Screen employees regularly for health issues and follow up any recommended treatments with them directly.

What should employers do to manage MSDs?
Be positive

• Start with the assumption that an employee will return to work, and go from there.
• Take account of the personal stress that MSDs can cause, and don’t aggravate it with unreasonable expectations.

Be supportive of medical advice

• You can help someone recover from an MSD by supporting the advice they receive from a doctor.

Help remove obstacles to return to work

• If someone cannot perform the same job, change their role so that they can gradually return to full strength.
• Don’t encourage bed rest - avoiding physical activity can actually increase the time it takes someone to recover.

Keep in touch

• If an employee is absent from work for a long period of time, make sure that you keep in contact and check on their recovery.
• Communicate any new policies or initiatives to absent staff to keep them connected to their workplace.
• Suggest a timetable for returning to work and review it regularly.

It DOES work
Severn Trent Water introduced a new system for managing manual handling activities for 500 employees, which reduced the proportion of total accidents caused by manual handling from 70% to 25%. The company projected that the initiative will pay for itself within the first two years, because of fewer days at work lost and a reduction in the company’s civil liabilities. Investing in the health of staff is not only good for business, it’s good for the morale of all your employees. Employers who have tackled occupational health issues always report a positive outcome.