Posted By Tabs Nothing at all. Kneeling is kneeling. Shoe shops across the country are doing the same. Felters, carpet layers, roofers, carpenters, etc., all do it too. If it is a regular task on an unsuitable surface knee pads should be provided. (Knee pads would not be available if kneeling was banned -and the church would be upset too).

Posted By SteveD-M Thanks Really helps.

Posted By A Campbell Think the kneeling thing evolved from the old 'housemaids knee' syndrome back in the victorian era!

Posted By bill reilly Steve Here is an extract from HSE/HSL study of baggage handlers at airports.Last sentence might be a clincher for you The highest risk elements were associated with the in-hold tasks, especially the stacking of bags during the on-load operation. These tasks are conducted in confined spaces, often with only around one metre of headroom. Repetitive handling of bags while kneeling and with the hands at a distance from the low back were the main high risk elements. Opinion in the scientific literature is mixed on whether it is better to handle bags while standing stooped, sitting, or kneeling in such circumstances. HSL’s review suggests that handling while kneeling for short periods inside the hold is preferable.

Posted By SteveD-M Thanks Guys. It is helpfull to know that I am not a lone voice in the widerness. I guess this just confirms my feeling, over the last couple of years I have found a resurgance of the '1970's' union rep. Now before I get pounced upon by the good guys I know I may not have a representative sample. It does link tho' to other threads and it does concern me as this could undermine the whole approach. Although somtimes I do feel I'm having a groundhog day...week...month ...year..

Posted By Kieran J Duignan Steve In response to your request for pointers: 1. Check and state how you have carried out a thorough ergonomic assessment of risks to the employee before and after he/she carried out the work in question 2. It's neither your job to 'disprove' the cause of any injury referred to nor the job of a union rep to 'prove' it, but the job of orthopaedic and rheumatology specialists after thorough medical investigation. 3. Laughing in response to a claim about painful injury is unlikely to benefit anyone, least of all your own professional credibility.

Posted By Bob Thompson CMIOSH Hi Steve correct no legislation regarding kneeling but we have a lot of evidence of the problems it can cause. we have home helps who have to kneel on a regular basis , you cant put someones socks and shoes on whilst standing up there have been a number of kneeling related problems dealt with by our occupational health department. The solution for us is simple include kneeling issues into our personal handling assessment , and provide foam gardening pads for those situations which need it. regards Bob