Stresses, strains and sprains to the back, neck and upper limbs are all too common in industries where manual handling plays an integral part of the business. Lifting and manoeuvring objects and repetitive tasks can all lead to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs).
Published statistics show that in the UK, over 9.5 million working days were lost in 2014/15 due to WRMSDs and these injuries accounted for 44% of workforce ill-health in the same period.
WRMSDs can be broken down into three areas: back disorders; upper limb disorders; and lower limb disorders:
- Back disorders. In 2014/15, it is estimated that nearly 3 million working days were lost due to injuries to the back, with a prevalence rate of 700 cases per 100,000 people employed. This equates to 13.3 days per case.
- Upper limb disorders. These include injuries such as repetitive strain trauma, hand/wrist tendon syndromes, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis/golfer’s elbow (epicondylitis) which can affect the shoulder, neck, arms, wrists or hands. The estimated number of working days lost to upper limb disorders is 4.1 million, 730 cases per 100,000 people employed, equating to 17.7 days per case.
- Lower limb disorders. Although there were less lower limb disorders reported in 2014/15 – 310 per 100,000 – than for back and upper limb disorders, those affected will experience a greater degree of immobility which can impair quality of life substantially. In 2014/15, there were almost 2.4 million working days lost due to lower limb disorders.
Although none of these disorders are life-threatening, they can result in long-term pain and work disruption. Any ergonomic intervention in helping to prevent these types of injuries will help in reducing the number of cases.
Scaglia Indeva® are market leaders in the design and manufacture of electronic industrial manipulators which significantly improve ergonomics in manual material handling. Our new generation of intelligent devices for handling minimises, the strains of manual material handling. They are designed to provide effortless, responsive, rapid and precise load placement regardless of type, size or shape of the load.
More information on our range of industrial manipulators can be found by browsing our website. To speak to one of our knowledgeable team about your manual handling requirements, contact us by telephone on 01246 252333, or email info@uk.indevagroup.com.
