Hi we're currently having an epidemic of RSI-itis seems to be more infectious then the plauge.

Has anyone run a strategy which has been informative and controlled this issue?

Its getting to ridiculous levels with 99% of them having no foundation at all; we're getting reports where chemists have told employees "its rsi"; we're getting it on Drs notes and surely it should be carpal tunnel or some varient.....

....doing my head in this friday afternoon

As a safety ergonomist/psychologist, I've known of effective strategies for managing (and preventing cumulative trauma disorder.

As your own observations indicate, valid diagnosis of a musculoskeletal disorder is a lot more complex than meets the eye. At the same time, ignoring complaints risk landing you in cross-fire with some of the (few) solicitors around who deal very smartly, fairly and legitimately with the condition.

Be aware that knowing that a claimant won't have a bogus condition supported by expert witness reports, well-informed solicitors concentrate on employees/workers with substantive problems and conduct correspondence very shrewdly, stacking up evidence of what you do and choose not to do in response to complaints in order to influence the judge in a court.

Controlling the issues effectively entail research-based applications of both physical and cognitive ergonomics targeted at tasks prevalent in your sector, as well as patience, humour and street-smartness.

If you pm me with examples of specific conditions and with information about the sources of reliable research you've already considered, I'll be pleased to suggest the next steps worth considering.

RSI related to what sort of activity. Is it DSE use, repetitive assembly work, the use of hand tools, trussing chickens, hand sewing? All of them different and all of them with a potential to cause WRULDs if not properly assessed and controlled. Presumably, as you are so certain that 99% of these cases are spurious, there have been thorough ergonomic assessments made of the activities and controls put into place to minimise the risk of WRULDs being developed. I'm sure on that basis you have nothing to worry about in the event your company ends up in court defending a claim.

Sounds like a case of CSI.

Christmas shopping injury.

On a serious note there must be some reason for this. Anything to do with bad lighting, with people struggling when typing?

You need more information, I think. The must difficult part of this is the fact that all of the symptoms are subjective an it can be hard for people to accurately express what's wrong.

there are some simple ways to derive information and numbers from your people. A suggestion is to produce a pain scale plotted over time. If the person has an eight-hour-shift then plot those eight hours against a pain/discomfort scale (say 1-10). At intervals during the day the person records their discomfort giving you useful information back on the far end. This information can be compared, for example against their workload allowing you to highlight possible reasons for these occurrences.

Further on from that is a more complete ergo assessment involving cameras and measuring distances, deflections & postures.

A good point was made above asking if the overall workload increases this time of year. This should be looked into as the answer might just be that simple.

KieranD makes a good point above regarding streetsmarts and sometimes having a quality conversation with the individual, coupled with a reasonably priced (but calculated) tweak to the workstation can make all the difference.

Michael

'RSI' is a misnomer, its correct name in the UK is WRULD.

To echo a theme on a different thread, most GPs are not experts as diagnosing 'RSI' (certainly not a chemist!) and I would estimate that only 10% of RSI that I am asked to see has a plausbile ergonomic basis that would make me think it is caused by work/repetition.

There is a link to employer guidance:

http://www.rcplondon.ac....eaflet-for-employers.pdf

It is important to stress that RSI/WRULD is a bio-psycho-social medical problem i.e. a number of non medical factors can influence it such as job dissatisfaction, stress, low morale, etc at work. The fact there is a cluster suggests there is a problem irrespective of the ergonomic issues (unless they are also exceptionally poor).

NB Clusters of acoustic shock is another common sign of psycho-social problems within call centres.

Regards,

Mark

Consultant Occupational Physician