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A wide range of activities and processes can cause upper limb disorders and repetitive strain injury (RSI). In your health and safety risk assessment you should consider all the tasks that are carried out in your business, paying particular attention to those which involve:

• the use of the hands and arms
• repetitive actions
• the use of sustained or excessive force
• actions performed for a long time
• poor and static posture or uncomfortable working positions
• vibration
• poor working environment and organisation eg working in cold conditions

You should also consider individual differences and susceptibility as well as the effects of stressful working practices such as high workloads, tight deadlines and a lack of control over work or working methods.

Consult with your employees - they're a valuable source of information about RSI risks. Common symptoms of an upper limb disorder include:

• tenderness
• aches and pains
• stiffness or pains from joints and the inability to straighten or bend those joints
• tingling
• numbness
• cramp
• swelling

Guidance on .

Workers who are at risk of RSI

Many businesses have to carry out tasks which may involve RSI risks. The following are examples of workers exposed to above average risk:

• assembly-line workers
• cleaning and domestic staff
• construction workers
• garment machinists
• hairdressers
• meat and poultry processors
• mushroom pickers
• secretaries
• pottery workers
• users of hand-held power tools

This isn't a comprehensive list. The key factor is the nature of the tasks your business carries out, rather than the business sector you work in. Be sure to look at all of them and assess those which may involve RSI risks.

The only way to fully remove the risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI) is to avoid using processes or equipment that might pose a risk. On a practical level, you may not be able to mechanise high-risk tasks or protect employees from exposure to risk altogether. 

You can use your health and safety risk assessment to identify high-risk tasks and reduce their impact on your employees.

Make changes to reduce the risk of RSI

Changes do not necessarily need to be expensive. Simple and low-cost changes can often be effective. You can:

• break up periods of intensive or high-risk work - this reduces the chances of RSI developing
• arrange workstations and equipment to suit the workers using them, eg left-handed or very tall people may need different settings
• tackle the serious risks or those that affect a large number of workers first
• reduce the size or weight of things being handled, and/or the distances they're moved
• share high-risk tasks between a number of employees
• make sure your workplace is well lit - RSI can result from people adopting unusual positions to make the most of dim light or to avoid glare
• test any changes on one or two workers before making changes for everyone

In areas such as lighting, it's important that you comply with basic workplace standards. See workplace welfare facilities and healthy working environment.

Equipment to reduce the risk of RSI

You might be able to find alternative equipment for your employees to use. For example:

• more advanced power tools that cause lower levels of vibration may be available
• a properly adjusted chair and a well-positioned screen, keyboard and mouse will reduce the risk of RSI for computer users
• the use of well-designed workstations and equipment such as conveyors can make handling objects easier during manufacture, packing or loading

Equipment should be used along with appropriate breaks, information and training to reduce the risk. 

Training

Whether you keep all your existing equipment and processes or introduce some new ones, training is crucial to minimising the risk of RSI. See train staff to avoid repetitive strain injury.

Training is one of the most important steps you can take to prevent people in your business developing repetitive strain injury (RSI). If workers do not follow the correct guidelines when carrying out tasks, it can increase their risk of RSI.

For example, sitting at a computer workstation won't necessarily cause an employee to develop a RSI, but the risk will be much higher if your employees:

• don't know how to adjust their seats correctly
• don't take regular take breaks
• don't know how to position the computer's screen, keyboard and mouse correctly

Key areas employee training should cover

Be sure that staff training includes the following:

• potential risks their work involves, eg making repeated forceful movements or using hand-held power tools for long periods
• how to reduce risks, eg following correct-usage guidelines supplied by equipment manufacturers
• what's expected of them, eg if power-tool workers need regular short breaks, make sure they take them
• the symptoms of RSI - the earlier RSI are spotted, the swifter the recovery usually is
• the correct procedure for reporting a RSI, or a task they think poses a RSI risk

You have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of you and your employees. This includes taking steps to prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI). You must also take steps to prevent them worsening if they've already occurred. Make sure you:

• carry out a risk assessment - look at all the tasks your business carries out and see if any might cause RSI
• inform your employees - make sure they know the risks and how to minimise them, eg by taking regular rest breaks, having the correct posture and sharing high-risk tasks
• tell employees to look out for the symptoms of RSI, eg pain, numbness and tingling
• eradicate risks if possible - for example by using machines for high-risk activities
• reduce risks where possible - for example by changing your processes or using less harmful equipment
• provide any training your staff need to minimise the risk of RSI occurring
• consult with your staff - their feedback is an important source of information
• put systems in place for managing any RSI that does occur

Keep monitoring working conditions - review your risk assessment regularly.