Posted By Chris Abbott
Hello all...

I have a suspected WRULD case that I need advice on. Firstly, employee complained that he was having pains in his triceps and upper arm to the shoulder. I redesigned his workstation, replaced his chair, got all the necessary ergonomic equipment and assessments in place etc. but this does not seem to have helped. Now I am a little unsure how to move forward, as there is little more I can do to make his desk/workstation anymore comfortable.

I cannot confirm that this is a WRULD case, although the symptoms lean towards a form of RSI but as I say, I don’t feel qualified to make that call, as I am not an Occupation Health Advisor. Should I send this employee to his GP, or to a Physiotherapist/Osteopath?

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

Posted By Chris Abbott
1.Have you conducted a DSE/Workstation assessment if you have what were the results, if not conduct one.

Yes - the design of his Workstation required some changes to the layout of keyboard, relocation of materials on desk so that the frequently most used items were forward etc.. There was some discomfort from the Cat-2 lighting, but I had the bulbs changed for Daylight kind. There was a lot of clutter under the desk, and so on, all these things were changed and a cupboard installed to remove books, paperwork etc from the desk. Overall, I believe that I have done as much as I can. I have provided a monitor stand, desk lighting, a document holder - although I still think that a head-set for his phone might help...

2.Has the individual in question visited his own GP for a medical opinion, if so has he been given a diagnoses and or medication.

No, but he is now doing so.

3.Does the individual have any history of problems in this area, there is evidence that some medical problems could hereditary.

Unknown at this time.

4.What activities if any does the individual participate in out of work, sport/gardening/DIY or other that could cause their discomfort.

unknown, although this is an area I plan to investigate once I get the GP report back.

5.If the problem persists advise him to seek medical treatment, if he refuses then make an appointment for him with your works/company occ health department or other nominated by you.

He has Health Cover with the company, so there should be no problem there.

I acted on his first raised problems, and spent some time looking at his problems - I agree that proactive rather than reactive measure are important, I think I have done as much as I can - so now I must wait to see what the GP comes back with.

Thanks very much for your help.

Chris

Posted By Alec Wood
If the employee has company health cover then use it. Early diagnosis is very important if treatment is going to be successful.

Re-examine your training and detection systems and ascertain if there is a need to revise. Employees need to be coming forward with complaints and concerns at the earliest possible opportunity.

If you have no occupational health provision then consider the benefits of obtaining some. You may get a good deal from the suppliers of your current company health cover. The costs of such injuries in retraining and liability can be high. Liability insurers tend to settle such claims where possible, and because of the legal costs of going to court, they tend to admit liability very easily. These costs can quite easily outweigh the costs of provision. Good provision sends a positive message to your employees and this seems to result in fewer claims, lower staff turnover etc. Our physios also provide us a valuable extra source of information when carrying out ergonomic and manual handling risk assessments.

You need accurate diagnosis ASP, also remember some WRULD are reportable under RIDDOR.