Legal Specs

Work Related Upper Limb Disorder

17 Jul 2008

The term work related upper limb disorder is also known as repetitive strain injury. It is a general term that refers to chronic pain that can take place in any part of your arms, which includes your elbow, wrist, hands and fingers as well as your neck and shoulders. Upper limb disorder is described as a chronic condition that lasts a long time and sometimes continues for the rest of a person's life. It is a chronic condition in the sense of time not how serious the condition is.

There are said to be more than 20 different conditions which can be described as an upper limb disorder. These different conditions can affect the neck, shoulders and arms. It is estimated that one in 50 workers are affected by the condition known as upper limb disorder. The term upper limb disorder is used to describe a painful condition associated with doing something repeatedly for a long period of time; it is due to this that you should have your working environment designed so that you can work with your body upright without having to twist or stretch it.

The main symptom that is present with upper limb disorder is pain and the painful area will vary depending on your specific condition. It will probably be most noticeable when you are carrying out the activity that caused it; however the pain that you are experiencing may progress so that it is present all of the time, even when you are resting the affected area. Due to this you may end up not being able to carry out routine work or household activities. The pain that you will feel with upper limb disorder will most likely be a sharp or dull ache. As well as the pain that you will be suffering from you may also experience the following:

• Tenderness
• Stiffness
• Tingling
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Cramp

Most, if not all aspects of upper limb disorder occur at work and in order to try and reduce/stop this employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 as well as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to prevent work-related RSI and ensure that any existing cases of RSI don't get worse. If your employer fails to protect employees as best as they can then they are leaving themselves open to becoming liable for their employees injuries.

It can easily be said that a wide range of activities and processes can cause the onset of upper-limb disorders (ULDs). It is because of this that employers should carry out risk assessments within the business; during which particular attention should be given to the following:

• The use of the hands and arms
• Repetitive actions
• The use of a lot of force
• Actions performed for a long time
• Poor and static posture or uncomfortable working positions
• Vibration
• Working in cold conditions

When looking into these aspects employers should be checking to ensure that employees are protected as much as possible by proving things such as protective clothing, including heavy gloves to stop the vibration of machinery and ensuring that a computer desk is set up in the right manner to protect against damage to you wrist and hands due to repetitive movements.

Helen is the web master of Accident Consult, specialists in all aspects of Work Related Upper Limb Disorder.