What back pain is costing you in sickness absence.
Back pain is a common cause of emplyee absence
Most employers will be aware that back pain is a very common cause of employee absence, but few will know the shocking truth.
The costs of back pain
• back pain is the second most common cause of absence from work in Britain
• every year over four million working days are lost as a result of back pain
• on average an employee with back pain takes 17 days off to recover from an episode.
All of this means that on a typical working day, one per cent of the working population is on sickness leave due to a back problem.
Further pain for the nation’s employers comes from the observation that back pain can severely impact on an employee’s ability to do their job, even though their work may not have necessarily caused the problem in the first place. On the other hand, of course, some professions do bring with them a higher risk of back pain than others.
A bleak outlook at a time when companies and organisations are looking to cut costs, but there is hope. There are positive steps every employer can take to mitigate the problem and reduce absenteeism in the workplace.
So what actions can be taken to avoid back pain?
Sash Newman, chief executive of BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, says prevention is, as ever, better than cure: “Back pain can be caused or exacerbated by a range of factors, many of which can only be controlled with support and advice from employers. These include stress, repetitive work, manual handling, desk-based work, bad workstation ergonomics and long working hours. On a positive note, promotion of physical exercise can also help prevent problems.”
After prevention, the next step is educating your workforce. Some employees will have incorrect and often unhelpful beliefs around back pain (for example, ‘back pain means I have damaged my back’ or ‘back pain needs rest’). Sash explains: “The workplace can be a good environment to inform and educate people about just what pain might mean. Changing these unhelpful beliefs can greatly help in minimising absenteeism.”
Even with the best prevention and education, chances are that some employees will experience back pain at some stage. So it is important for employers to also implement back pain management policies.
Sash says: “With the right measures many people with back pain are able to continue or return to work. To do this effectively employers and employees will have to work together on implementing simple measures.”
Of course, underlying all of the above measures, and enshrined in the law, is a duty of care which employers have to their employees. Among the detail of masses of legislation built up over the years are simple principles employers must adhere to. These are to secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work by providing the right instruction (for example, in lifting and handling), the right equipment and a safe, healthy working environment.
Despite all of the above, sometimes a period of sick leave is unavoidable, but it is in the interest of the employee and employer to keep these periods as short as possible.
Sash adds: “Maintain regular contact with the employee. Agree timescales for regular review and discuss what changes are needed in the workplace to assist them in returning to work.
In consultation with the employee, consider retraining if the job is not suitable for someone with a more long-term back problem.”
Further information about back pain
Don’t forget that with Benenden Healthcare you can seek advice on back care from our 24/7 GP Advice Line . Benenden Healthcare members can discuss any health concerns they might have in complete confidence. It costs £1.50 per person, per week for Benenden Healthcare Society membership. You can join Benenden Healthcare online.
Benenden Healthcare members may also be eligible for a course of physiotherapy to assit with back conditions.
You may also wish to visit the Backcare website and the Health and Safety Executive website
