If your job involves a lot of repetition, there is a good chance you may suffer a repetitive strain injury (RSI). Repetition does not just mean standing on a factory line day after day either. RSIs can now affect people in pretty much any profession because so many jobs require people to use a computer and keyboard.
Manual jobs are also a big risk for these injuries, think about a baker kneading bread day after day, a construction worker repeatedly banging nails with a hammer or a hairdresser constantly cutting with scissors.
RSIs can prevent you from working
RSIs tend to get worse if you keep on doing what you are doing. While you might take painkillers to get through the day, this will only hide the damage, and allow your injury to worsen. The best thing for an RSI is rest, so it’s important to be able to get the time off from work without sacrificing earnings, which is where workers’s compensation should come in.
Clearly, with so many people at risk of RSIs, the best thing an employer can do is to take measures to reduce the chance their employees suffer these debilitating but often underestimated injuries.
Employers need to consider providing more ergonomic options, of which there are many available. For example, standing desks, good quality chairs and ergonomic keyboards can help computer work. Correct height work surfaces and tools with ergonomic grips can help manual workers. In all cases, varying routines and allowing adequate rest can make a massive difference.
If you get an RSI at work, you may not always find it easy to claim workers’ compensation, because, to an onlooker, you may seem fine. Getting help to show just how serious your injury is and prove your need for compensation may be necessary.
