RSI in the News

Greater steps needed to protect workers
This month the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) urged government and employers to take greater steps to protect workers in all industries from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

Latest figures show a sharp increase in the number of people with this disabling condition. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) most recent figures (2006/7) show that both the number of new cases as well as the overall number of people affected has risen.

Key Points:

• 115,000 new cases of work-related upper limb disorders, popularly known as repetitive strain injury, were reported in 2006/7 as compared with 86,000 new cases in 2005/6
• The overall number of people reporting a problem with RSI has also risen from 374,000 in 2005/6 to 426,000 in 2006/7
• RSI costs employers almost £300 million per year in lost working time, sick pay and administration.
• An estimated 3.5 million working days were lost in 2006-07 due to RSI, with each person affected taking over 13 days off sick.

Employers losing millions of pounds
But the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said the issue was still not being taken seriously enough. It said staff needed to be given regular breaks and access to occupational health specialists.

Bronwyn Clifford, a spokeswoman for the society, said:

"Why do we let this situation continue? Many thousands of people are suffering and employers are losing hundreds of millions of pounds every year through RSI.”

Keytools has the answer!
RSIGuard, exclusive to Keytools, is an integrated software package that has been designed to prevent and manage RSI by:

• Offering breaks, tailored to personal needs
• Reducing mouse strain and repetitive activity
• Tracking and reporting work statistics – showing who is most at risk