Legally, your employer has a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to prevent work-related ULDs or to stop any cases getting worse. If they do not manage the risk of ULDs to workers they run the risk of legal action and possible compensation costs.
As an employee, here is how to avoid RSI:
• warm up and cool down the muscles used
• taking regular breaks throughout the day
• establish an appropriate workstation and seating position
• use relaxation techniques
• explore with your employer preventative measures.
Goddard explains: “Compared to other areas of health and safety, RSI prevention is lagging behind. Many employees are given the most basic of advice about posture and screen breaks, a basic keyboard, a cheap mouse and a standard office chair.”
The advice is to ask your employer for advice and for better equipment and, if your know that job puts you at risk of RSI, you should seek out expert advice on prevention from a professional body.
Top tips for avoiding RSI
1. Adjust your whole workstation to fit you not the other way around
2. If your equipment is not in the right place and not adjustable, it is not ergonomic and you will suffer as a result. Change it
3. Start with your posture and invest in a good adjustable chair. It might seem expensive but is less costly than back treatment and much less painful
4. Get your desk to the right height for you – not what your chair will allow. You can do this by inserting small blocks of wood under the feet or saw a bit off it’s too high (if you share a workspace a height adjustable desk makes life much easier for all)
5. Get a fully adjustable keyboard like, for example, the Goldtouch
6. Get another mouse or even better get two, and keep the one you have. Keep switching between them so that you minimise the repetition. Get different ones – a trackball might feel a bit strange at first but you will get used to it. Vertical mice help a great deal to reduce twisting or pronation in the wrist
7. Get a document holder that can sit over and behind your keyboard. The key feature is that you want to keep all your work in a straight line head up position
8. Get your monitor at the right height and distance. Monitor arms are really good for this, easy to use with flat screens and free up space on your desk. If you must use a laptop screen then make sure you have a stand to get it the right height and always use an external keyboard and mouse
9. Use RSI Guard or similar piece of software. It will help you be more aware of how your behaviour is hurting you
10. Do something now! The whole problem with RSI is that your body will put up with the way you treat it for quite a long time, but once it gives up you may be in big trouble, and the road back could be painful and slow.
Goddard, who is also education officer for Keytools, a company offering assisted technology mainly for disabled computer users, claims that RSI problems are easily preventable. He says: “It’s a bit like seatbelts - they are far more effective before you crash than afterwards. Many companies are beginning to understand the value of preventative strategies. Your organisation very likely has a healthcare programme, safety training, fire extinguishers, and security systems all of which are there for in case something bad happens. So it makes sense to make workstations easier to use and less damaging for employees.”
But if prevention has failed, what about treatment?
If the worst happens, rest the affected area and use painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, heat and cold packs and elastic wrist supports or firm wrist splints. Acupuncture, physiotherapy or osteopathy can also help.
The HSE recommends that you should not panic if you are suffering symptoms. People with RSI/ULDs usually completely recover if the problem is recognised early and treated appropriately. In addition, once your employer knows about problems in the workplace something can be done to reduce the likelihood of the problem recurring once you have recovered.
However, Goddard emphasises the point that you should not wait for a problem to happen – prevention is much simpler: “People who have RSI sometimes recover very slowly because it is usually a problem with tendons. Because tendons have a very low supply of blood they take a long time to heal. There is no quick cure.”
If there is a problem, your employer may be able to refer you to an occupational health provider for some medical help. They will be able to assess your symptoms and may diagnose a specific condition if you have one. They will ask about your work tasks to try to determine what the main contributors may be.
If your workplace does not have access to this type of support you may need to go and see your GP and explain to them the symptoms you have and the type of work that you do. They should be able to provide some help and advice on your specific problem or refer you to another health professional who can.
Further information about RSI
www.rsi.org.uk
www.hse.gov.uk
Further information – health at work
Benenden Healthcare Society provides practical online advice on Health in the Workplace as well as Corporate Healthcare to contribute to your staff benefits package.
Alternatively, call Benenden Healthcare on 0845 052 5733* for information about personal healthcare.
