Musculoskeletal injuries relate to conditions that can affect the back, joints, and limbs. They can occur due to repeated unsafe movements such as sustained work of excessive force or work of a repetitive nature. It can also occur due to a single instance such as a fall. These injuries can not only cause you pain in the short term they may prevent you from carrying out your job for some time.
As stated above an employer has a duty to, as much as reasonably practicable protect their workers from harm at work. So, where a musculoskeletal injury has occurred due to the working conditions, the job an employee has to do or the actions of a fellow employee the employer may be liable for the injury.
The most common areas on the body for these injuries to occur are:
- Lower Back
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Legs
- Arms
- Hand
- Feet
- Hips
If the employer is liable for the injury due to a failure to meet any of the factors mentioned in the introduction above (Competent workforce, Adequate material, and equipment, A proper system of working, and a safe workplace) it will allow the employee to claim compensation.
Examples of activities at work that can cause musculoskeletal injuries are:
Manual Handling
Manual Handling is defined by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as ‘any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force.’ The load for example can be a box but is not limited to inanimate objects it can also include people or animals. Manual handling can often be the cause of muscle injuries in the workplace.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 provides that an employer must as far as reasonably practicable:
- Avoid hazardous manual handling,
- Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided,
- Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling
Manual handling is going to be necessary in some occupations, in this case, the employer should as mentioned above reduce the risk of injury from the manual handling. A way an employer should do this is to provide training to his staff, this should show them the correct method of lifting items to prevent long-term injury. They should also if possible, break loads into smaller consignments and ensure the work rate is not excessive and to unreasonably tight deadlines.
If an employer fails to do all which is reasonably practicable to reduce manual handling and the risk of injury resulting from it, they could be liable for any injuries suffered by their employees due to manual handling.
Vibrations
The vibrations from things such as power tools or jolts from driving certain vehicles can cause long-term damage to individuals. The common injuries can relate to hand or arm injuries from the use of a tool or back injuries from driving certain vehicles. If an employer does not take reasonable steps to protect his workforce from these injuries, he can be liable to compensate the employee for the damage.
An employer is required as far as reasonably practicable to reduce the vibrations which an employee may feel when handling such tools or vehicles. They can do this by providing their employees with tools with the least amount of vibration possible which are suitable for the job. Limit each worker’s daily exposure time to the vibrations to as low as possible with regular breaks, operators of these tools should be encouraged to exercise their fingers.
They should also be provided with the information and training to use the tool correctly. They should also conduct health surveillance on anyone whose use of these tools is above the Exposure Action Value of 2.5 m/s2.
For guidance on how to calculate the Exposure Action Value: www.legislation.gov.uk
Early signs of vibration caused hand and arm injury:
- Numbness in the fingers,
- Lack of feeling in the fingers,
- Reduction in hand strength,
- In the cold, your fingers may go white then red before being painful.
Ultimately this can lead to:
- Permanent numbness,
- Difficulty picking up small objects,
- Permanent loss of feeling,
- Pain when trying to grip things in your hand.
As mentioned above vibrations caused by jolts or shocks from driving certain vehicles can lead to back pain. If an employer fails to provide reasonable protection for their employees from these vibration-related injuries and does not take the steps mentioned above it can result in him being liable for the injury of an employee sustained this way.
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