It has just come to my attention that an employee has been signed off work for a week with a bad back which it is said has been caused through work - not one particular incident but excessive manual handling tasks/strain. What are your views on this as to whether it is reportable? All retrospective and nothing was said at the time. I reckon only way to get to bottom of this is thorough investigation.

If other causes can be discounted then is reasonable that its may be work related and if it is over 3 days then yes it's reportable. Some may disagree but we do not report unless at least some link is established but if the employee is looking for an easy claim they will hardly admit to the rugby game or DIY at the weekend! Be careful with the reporting policy, back injuries (and other strains) can manifest sometime after the event and you don't always know you have done it (This I know from painful experience). Are they reporting it because the Dr said it was work related or have they had further advice? Maybe they just hoped it would go away but now they have had a week off they are genuinely concerned there may be long term damage. They may be at fault for doing this but unless your systems are squeaky clean then I would advise not getting the IP's back up (excuse pun). Not everyone is after a claim but it pays to tread carefully. What do they do, is there a MH risk and has it been assessed and proper controls put in place? Have they been trained in correct techniques and do they use them? I had a conversation with our insurers last year and if these points at least aren't addressed they will simply roll over in the event of a claim. If they are returning to work can the Dr provide a 'Fit' note detailing what they IP can actually do. If so work the RTW programme around this. If this is managed well and if any gaps in your RA etc are rectified quickly the IP is less likely to think of claiming.

quote=Motorhead] We have just had an employee bring a "Fit" note in saying that he was ok to take up his normal duties. When asked if the doc had actually examined him, he said no. Also, the doc wasn't aware that he had a hospital appt for further tests to see if surgery was needed. It transpires that the doc just asked him if he was ok to return to work.

Thanks everyone for replies. Yes we have MH assessments in place and all employees recieve MH training. The problem here may be one of communicating of/lack of info. I think there are underlying causes to this and perhaps our reporting procedures need to be emphasised and rolled out again. Just don't know when I would report date of "accident" but will find out more and take it from there. Thanks again.

I hear what Claire says, and suggest that you choose your words carefully when making the report. And before anyone jumps on me, I aren't suggesting making a false report or lying etc, but rather suggesting that you use the narrative wisely.

If there was no one incident or accident which resulted in a back injury the employee has not done anything wrong per say by not recording an incident in the accident book. I would certainly ask him about his injury and ask him what other activities he might participate in outside of work which could also have contributed to a cumulative injury. And when he is fit to return to work you will need to probably look at the duties he can carry out safely and phase his return to manual handling. In my experience so far GPs are not very specific when completing fit notes - I 've had one come in which helpfully said "Light duties may be considered". What ever that means? Personally I am not entirely convinced this is a reportable injury, but if the member of staff wants to put an entry in the book, then it will become one! Some people advise to report it through on an F2508 if you're not sure anyway....