The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
14 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4ED
Telephone 020 7306 6628/6616/6621 or 01273 202980
Web www.csp.org.uk
NEWS RELEASE
Embargoed, not for publication or broadcast until: 00.01hrs 23 February 2009
Wales still blighted by repetitive strain injury
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) is calling on Government to encourage employers to
do more to prevent and reduce repetitive strain injury (RSI) amongst British workers, as the latest
figures show no improvement in tackling the problem in Wales.
The latest regional figures available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE 2006/07) show that
1.13 people per every 100 workers (an estimated 25,000 people) in Wales have a musculoskeletal
upper limb or neck disorder (such as RSI) caused or made worse by work – a slight increase on
2005/06, when the figure was 0.91 people (an estimated 20,000 people) (1).
Currently, employers have a legal duty to prevent the occurrence of risks of injury or illness, which
are reasonably foreseeable in relation to their employees. However, the latest statistics suggest
preventative action to reduce the risk of RSI is still lacking, causing many thousands of workers to
develop this debilitating condition. Physiotherapists can play a key role in keeping people in work
and getting people back to work, and can advise on the prevention of work related health problems
such as RSI.
Despite the well-proven business case of providing occupational health services (B), it seems to be
a low priority with many employers. Only 12.5 per cent of employers provide rehabilitation services
(ABI 2005) and as few as 6.5 per cent of small businesses provide any access to occupational
health services for their employees (Carter 2006). But it is a big worry to workers – a recent TUC
survey found that 40 per cent of workers felt RSI was a safety concern.
RSI costs employers around £300 million per year in lost working time, sick pay and administration.
An estimated 2.8 million working days were lost in 2007-08 due to RSI, with on average each
person affected taking 13.3 days off sick (see Note 2). However, RSI is usually preventable or
treatable with help from a physiotherapist.
The CSP is calling on Government to:

make the provision of occupational health services a statutory duty upon employers

promote the business and social case of providing occupational health services, with a
particular emphasis on the effectiveness of early intervention

provide incentives to employers, such as tax relief, on the provision of occupational health
services
Pauline Cole, CSP spokesperson and member of ACPOHE (Association of Chartered
Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics) said:
‘There is a clear opportunity for employers to do more to provide occupational health services both
with regard to prevention of RSI and rehabilitation. The CSP is calling on the Government to both
encourage and enforce measures to address this with legislation, combined with incentives and
best practice guidance. We may then, after the frustration of many years of no progress, begin to
see some reduction in the rates of this almost completely preventable condition.
‘The Government’s welfare reform proposals include important measures to support staff returning
to work after health problems, such as RSI, through rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy.
The CSP fully supports these initiatives but argues more needs to be done to prevent RSI from
occurring in the first place and, if it does occur, to provide early intervention treatments to prevent
the problem getting so bad people have to stop work altogether.’
The most recent overall figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are for 2007/08.
These show that 213,000(2) people in work had a musculoskeletal upper limb or neck disorder that
was caused or made worse by work. There has been little progress in tackling the problem in six
years - of the figures for 2007/8 over a third, 81,000 were new cases, compared with a similar figure
of 87,000 people in 2001/02 (3), when 222,000 people in work were found to be suffering (2).
Health and Safety Executive figures analysed by the Labour Research Department for the CSP
show that the jobs where workers are most likely to develop a musculoskeletal disorder caused or
made worse by work, mainly affecting the upper limbs or neck (4) are:



Process, plant and machine operatives (1.21 per 100 workers),
Skilled construction and building trades (1.14 per 100 workers)
Health and social welfare associate professionals (1.10 per 100 workers)
Ends
For further media information please contact the CSP press office on 020 7306 6616 (out of hours
mobile: 07786 332 197) or Ann Stirling on 01273 202980 (mobile: 07939 153513).
Tables Appendix
(1) By region
Table A 2006/07: Estimated prevalence and rates of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders mainly
affecting the upper limbs or neck, caused or made worse by work, by country and government office
region within England, for people ever employed.
Government office
Rate per 100 ever
Prevalence
region
employed
South West
1.31
51,000
West Midlands
1.24
48,000
North East
East Midlands
Wales
Yorkshire and Humber
North West
Scotland
East
London
South East
1.20
1.17
1.13
1.13
0.94
0.93
0.82
0.80
0.69
22,000
38,000
25,000
41,000
47,000
36,000
35,000
41,000
43,000
England
Great Britain
0.99
0.99
365,000
426,000
HSE, Table ULNGOR1E - 2006/07
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0607/ulngor1e.htm
Table B 2005/06: Estimated prevalence and rates of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders mainly
affecting the upper limbs or neck, caused or made worse by work, by country and government office
region within England, for people ever employed.
Government office
Rate per 100 ever
Prevalence
region
employed
North East
1.24
23,000
East Midlands
1.08
35,000
Yorkshire and Humber
1.05
39,000
West Midlands
0.95
37,000
Wales
0.91
20,000
South East
0.91
57,000
East
0.83
35,000
North West
0.74
37,000
Scotland
0.74
29,000
South West
0.70
27,000
London
0.69
35,000
England
Great Britain
0.88
0.87
325,000
374,000
Source: HSE ULNGOR1E - 2005/06
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0506/ulngor1e.htm
Overall rates
Estimated prevalence and rates of musculoskeletal disorders caused or made worse by work,
mainly affecting the upper limbs or neck, for people working in the last 12 months
(2)
Yea
Estimated
r
prevalence
2001/02
222,000
2003/04
259,000
Rate per 100 employed in
last 12 months
0.78
0.90
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
217,000
213,000
263,000
213,000
0.75
0.73
0.90
0.70
Source: Table SWIT3W12 - 2007/08 and previous years
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0708/swit3w12.htm
New cases
Estimated incidence and rates of musculoskeletal disorders caused or made worse by work, mainly
affecting the upper limbs or neck, for people working in the last 12 months
(3)
Year
2001/02
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
Estimated
incidence
87,000
90,000
85,000
78,000
107,000
81,000
Rate per 100 employed in
last 12 months
0.30
0.31
0.29
0.27
0.37
0.27
Source: Table SWIT6W12 - 2007/08 and previous years
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0708/swit6w12.htm
By occupation
Estimated prevalence and rates of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders mainly affecting the
upper limbs or neck caused or made worse by current or most recent job, by occupation, for people
working in the last 12 months, averaged 2004/05-2006/07.
Occupation description
Rate per 100
Prevalence
employed in the
last 12 months
Process, plant and machine operatives
1.21
13,000
Skilled construction and building trades
1.14
13,000
Health and social welfare associate professionals
1.10
12,000
Textiles, printing and other skilled trades
0.92
5,000
Culture, media and sports occupations
0.88
12,000
Leisure and other personal service occupations
0.80
4,000
Secretarial and related occupations
0.79
7,000
Transport and mobile machine drivers and
0.78
13,000
operatives
Skilled metal and electrical trades
0.77
9,000
Science and technology associate professionals
0.73
4,000
(4)
All occupations
Source: HSE, Table ULNOCC2_3YR - Averaged 2004/05 - 2006/07
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/0607/ulnocc2_3yr.htm
0.79
231,000
(B)
The business case
Physiotherapists and other allied health professionals employed by companies are in a prime
position to help employees to keep healthy by enabling the individual to understand how to prevent
conditions becoming long term, to reduce reoccurrence, and strategies to self manage effectively.
Physiotherapy has a significant role to play in promoting good health and wellbeing especially in the
areas of exercise prescription, activity management and smoking cessation, impacting across all
age groups.
For example, AstraZeneca recognises that personal wellbeing is essential for employees to
effectively build the company’s innovation and creativity. (HSE 2007b) In 2000 it started its
‘Wellbeing in AstraZeneca’ programme for its 10,000 staff in the UK. Through the provision of
rehabilitation and treatment services such as physiotherapy, and promoting healthy lifestyles with
access to sports facilities and health screening, the company has saved £200,000 a year in health
insurance spend and absence levels are 31% lower than average levels.
Notes to editors:
1. Further information on RSI and how to find a physiotherapist to help prevent and/or treat RSI is
available from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). The CSP is the professional,
educational and trade union body for the UK's 49,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy
students and assistants. Please visit our web site at www.csp.org.uk or call 0207 306 6666.
2. RSI is a general term, rather than a medical diagnosis, that covers a range of conditions known
as work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD) that can result in pain, sometimes very severe, in
the limbs, fingers, wrists, forearms, neck and shoulders. Any activity that involves prolonged
maintenance of awkward or static postures, high rates of repetition or exertion of force can mean
there is a risk of developing WRULD or RSI. Information on the number of lost working days can be
found in HSE Table SWIT1 - 2007/08. In 1995/96 HSE estimated the cost of upper limb disorders at
between £208 and £221 million per year. Allowing for inflation, these figures would now be between
£285 million and £304 million.
3. Breakdowns by occupation and region are not yet available for 2007/8. The most recent HSE
figures available are for 2006/07. Full details on the HSE web site www.hse.gov.uk.
4. The Hazards Campaign (http://www.hazards.org/strains) and charity RSI Action
(http://rsiaction.org.uk) have information and resources available on RSI. International RSI
Awareness Day takes place on the last day of February each year.
5. Research references alphabetically ordered:
i)
Association of British Insurers (ABI). 2005 Improving health at work: (UK) Employers
attitudes to Occupational Health. London: Association of British Insurers.
ii)
Carter S, Mason C, Tag S. (2006) Lifting the barriers to growth in UK small businesses. The
FSB biennial membership survey, 2006. Stirling: University of Stirling.
iii)
Health and Safety Executive. (HSE) (2007b) The business benefits of health and safety –
case studies. Sudbury: Health and Safety Executive. Available at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/businessbenefits/ (accessed 28 November 2007)
iv)
TUC biennial survey of safety representatives October 2008