The construction industry can be a dangerous working environment for many reasons, but sometimes the serious accidents and deaths we hear about in the media disguise the amount of illnesses and injuries caused by repetitive actions within the industry. Jobs such as plastering, painting and working in confined spaces can lead to physical issues with the body including upper limb disorders.
Employers have a responsibility to ensure that their workers long-term health is not unduly damaged by their working practices and equipment. Their duty includes identifying and assessing jobs that could lead to issues later on. The HSE recommends looking at three key areas:
Who – the employees themselves; what tasks do they do and which tools do they use. Are they suitably trained for the task? Are physically capable of performing the task?
What – types of risks are there; does the task require rapid or prolonged repetition? What is the posture of the person performing the task? How long are workers performing this task? Is there any significant application of force within the task? Are there sufficient recovery periods between the tasks?
Where – the location of the task and increase risk factors. Temperature can be a crucial factor, working at height can increase fatigue, working in confined spaces can cause issues with posture etc
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 is a valuable resource for employers making it clear that work equipment must be provided that is suitable for the task to be performed – this includes ensuring that the equipment does not cause unnecessary strain upon the user. In addition to this it is worthwhile for employers to use the Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) tool that the HSE has created, not forgetting to consider any risks in the management of manual handling loads.
Have you been injured as a result of repetitive strain at work?
If so you should contact one of our highly experienced solicitors. They are on hand to answer any questions you have and talk you through the claims process to see if you are entitled to claim for compensation. Calls are free and you are under no pressure to make a claim; they have dealt with a great deal of cases like these and are best placed to assist you in making your decision. Contact us today to see if you can get the compensation you deserve.