Early intervention and immediate corrective action
This section shows you how to tackle MSDs
in the workplace and gives you links to other sources of help
Helping an individual with an
MSD
Immediate medical
advice
Information about specific
conditions
Advice for employers
Advice for employees
Addressing the
workplace
Getting more help
On occasions, and in spite of your best efforts, some employees
may develop an MSD. What should you do if this happens? You will
need to deal with the individual and with the workplace.
Helping an individual with an MSD
The HSE explains that ‘MSD is a broad umbrella label for many
types of aches and pains and treatment will be determined by the
exact medical diagnosis’. Most cases can be satisfactorily dealt
with by your GP. Chartered physiotherapists can be most helpful in
the assessment and treatment of these disorders. Occasionally, it
may be necessary for your GP to refer you to see a specialist such
as a consultant in orthopaedics or rheumatology.
To find a physiotherapist in your area, go to the websites of
any of the following organisations:
Immediate medical advice
Immediate medical advice is available in a self-help guide from
NHS
Choices.
Information about specific conditions
NHS Choices has specific information about back
pain, as well as
upper limb pain and disorders such as
carpal tunnel syndrome. NHS Choices includes information on
symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Advice for employers
It may not be possible to prevent all cases of MSDs, but there
are things you can do to help prevent symptoms occurring or getting
worse, whether they’re caused by work or only aggravated by work
activities. The HSE has a range of advice about what you can do to
help people who have MSD symptoms.
See the HSE website for more
information.
Health monitoring
Health monitoring is an informal, voluntary method of surveying
your workforce for symptoms of ill health, including low back pain.
The law does not require health surveillance or health monitoring
for workers exposed to the risks of MSDs, but it can provide a
means of obtaining early reports of musculoskeletal complaints,
which can be assessed and acted on as appropriate. For more
information, see the HSE
website.
What can I do to help an employee with back pain?
The HSE states that ‘As an employer, you can do a lot to help
any staff that report back pain. It is very important to be
positive and helpful in removing obstacles to their recovery.’
Find out
more…
Advice for employees
The HSE advises that you shouldn’t panic if you’re suffering
symptoms. People with upper limb disorders usually recover
completely if the problem is recognised early and treated
appropriately.
If you’ve a musculoskeletal pain or experience discomfort or
symptoms, tell your manager, supervisor, health and safety
representative or other staff representative.
You should be particularly aware of the following symptoms:
- pain
- aching
- burning
- redness or swelling
It’s important that you report these symptoms as soon as
possible (along with any others which are concerning you) as help
could be available. Find out more about ULDs on the HSE website.
The HSE provides a list of do’s and don’ts for employees with
back pain. Find out
more…
Addressing the workplace
Having identified workplace risk factors via risk assessment
(see
‘Preventive action and early identification’ section), there
are some examples of control measures for various industries in the
HSE’s leaflets
on manual handling and upper limb disorders and
ergonomics.
Some useful tips can be found on the Canadian Centre for
Occupational Health and Safety website. The Peninsula Medical
School literature review provides an evidence base for early
intervention in sickness absence in the report
Avoiding long-term incapacity for work: developing an early
intervention in primary care.
Getting more help
The following organisations offer help and advice:
- Healthy
Working Lives (Scotland) has a free confidential advice line
for a wide range of workplace health issues, including health
promotion, occupational health and safety, employability and
vocational rehabilitation
- The European
Agency for Safety and Health at Work campaign Lighten the load
supports employers, workers, safety representatives, practitioners
and others in improving MSD prevention in the workplace
- Health for Work Adviceline for
Small Business is a free service to help you quickly and
effectively address the issue of employee ill health, minimise the
impact of staff illness, and provide essential support to staff
with physical or mental health issues
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