The Nexus Gulf

The financial implications of a disease among the workforce are very serious. It is reported that the UK spends seven billion pounds a year to provide treatment for muscle and joint pains, broadly known as musculoskeletal diseases. The budget of the European Union for the same is 240 billion pounds.

The number of workdays lost in the UK due to MSDs is 9.5 million a year. Out of the 100 million afflicted with this disease, 40 million are workers, and forty percent of these workers have been forced out of the workforce. These alarming facts are contained in a report presented by The Work Foundation. This research organisation covered twenty- five European countries to get a real picture of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disease in Europe.

Whilst many office premises appear to be low risk, when compared to other workplaces, there are a significant number of workers who may be at risk of developing musculo-skeletal related conditions such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) – click DSE Assesor Training for information – Whilst these conditions are not life threatening, they can cause discomfort, result in staff being off sick and in some cases mean that an employee may not be able to undertake their normal duties.

Stephen Bevan, the chief of the Foundation, has highlights these figures and raised the issue of decreasing productivity of the workforce and the negative impact of the disease on the economy. He has also stressed on the need for developing occupational health services. He is of the opinion that early detection, proper treatment and effective rehabilitation of the workers will go a long way in reducing the scourge of this disease.

Bevan also reminds that owing to the world economy passing through a difficult phase of recession, the European countries too are facing this crisis of reduced earnings and fewer business opportunities. Under such circumstances, lost workdays due to this disease is a matter of serious concern among policy makers. He stresses on the early detection and treatment of this disease to stop matters from getting worse.

In this context, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has pointed out the lack of occupational health services in the UK, where only two percent of the workers are presently benefitting from such a service. For others, a GP referral is the only hope, and this delays the treatment process and leads to chronic cases. Barber suggests proper rehabilitation of the workers as an effective method of bringing sick or recovering employees back to the workforce.