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A repetitive strain injury can develop insidiously. Many a sufferer has, only months before developing the injury, been heard to say something along the lines of, "I perform the same manual tasks everyday – I've heard all about RSI but, touch wood, I seem to be fine."
Yet the truth is that a workplace injury which has its roots in the excessive repetition of a particular manual task or tasks should be avoidable and that prevention is best when it is exercised well in advance in the development of any symptoms.
This picture is true whether the worker is office bound and regularly using a computer or is a factory or production line worker and is regularly repeating the same manual task.
Of course, the chief responsibility for prevention lies with employers, risk assessment officers and managers. They can do this by ensuring variation in the kinds of tasks that workers are charged with, regularly monitoring the health of workers, identifying those who are at risk and by ensuring swift action where an injury or risk of injury has been identified.
A spokesperson for no win, no fee specialist YouClaim comments, "Without proper assessment, monitoring and safety equipment, workers will always be at risk of developing a repetitive-use musculoskeletal injury.
"Some studies, such as that conducted by the Labour Research Department in 1996 have found that as few as 8% of employers have an RSI prevention policy in place.
"Although it is likely that things have improved since then, the truth remains that many employers rely on having workers who will not develop RSI, something which, potentially, is negligent."
If it is true that some employers rely on having such hardy workers, the question of responsibility, if not legal liability, will become the concern of workers themselves, but what can they do?
YouClaim's resident repetitive strain injury expert offers a few tips.
"Try and restrict the number of hours you work at a particular task, whether it is working on the factory line or at the computer," he says.
"For example, it is possible to install a program on your computer that has a countdown timer on it, reminding you when it is necessary to take a break.
"When taking a break it is a good idea to get some exercise. Also eating well, having good posture, and taking fish oil supplements can all have some benefit.
"However, there is no substitute for knowing your rights and ensuring that your employer ensures them. If you're uncertain of your rights, it may be worth contacting the Health and Safety Executive or your union for more information."
Claim compensation for repetitive strain injury
A repetitive strain injury is no minor matter. In fact, such workplace injuries can be disabling and greatly impact upon a person's quality of life and earning potential.
If you have developed such an injury and believe that some failings on the part of your employer may, whether wholly or in part, have led to it occurring, it is worth consulting a legal advisor about the possibility of claiming personal injury compensation.
Our team of legal advisors can be consulted online, by using Echat, or over the telephone, either by requesting a Callback or calling our helpline directly, on 0800 10 757 95.
Should you then decide to proceed with a claim, you can rest assured that you will receive a completely charge free service from our personal injury solicitors, together with our 100% compensation promise – we never take a cut.
We look forward to helping you secure the compensation you deserve.
