Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Scottie
In reply to your question, 'If a person carries out a task at work and then experiences non specific back pain, is this an accident?', I think that you may need further data on the specific task(s) and on the intensity of the 'non specific back pain' but, as a safety ergonomist (who pays his dues as a registered member of The Ergonomics Society as well as a CMIOSH), I would be inclined to regard it as a form of musculo-skeletal disorder, subject to confirmation by a qualified physiotherapist or osteopath.
The most readable authoritative guides on this subject remain 'Ergonomics, Work and Health' by S Pheasant, Macmillan, 1991 and 'Bodyspace' S Pheasant, Taylor & Francies, 2nd edition, 1996. From memory, I recall the author identifies about 13 classes of musculo-skeletal disorders, and states emphatically that you can succumb to one of them by simply lifting a pencil.
So, I personally am inclined to strongly advise an employer to
a. complete the F2508 form for such an incident, ticking the box on 'handling'
b. ensure that a system for monitoring the incidence of back, shoulders, arms and hands strains are monitored monthly
c. introduce a scaled down form of peer observation of safe behaviour where any form of lifting of weights (or of repetitive movements of the upper limbs, use of force with handtools, twisting of the torso and similar sources of strain) is involved in carrying out a task, whether due to the nature of the task or the working conditions.
As musculo-skeletal disorders can easily become intensely painful, it's safer to educate employees and managers about them and monitor v. carefully than to allow matters to drift and find yourself, at best, forking out loadsa money on remedial care and sick pay or at worst, on the back foot in the face of a claim for personal injury damages and for adjustments under the DDA due to 'an impairment' you might have prevented.