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MSDs: Health monitoring and support for workers

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) include injuries and conditions that can affect the back, joints and limbs. They can be caused or made worse by work. Where there are risks of musculoskeletal disorders in your workplace, you can choose to do health monitoring.

Health monitoring

This collects early reports of any symptoms workers may have. In law, you do not have to do health monitoring. But it is often useful to collect this information so that you are aware of any health issues your workers have and to monitor trends.

It can be helpful when you introduce a new task or change an existing process. It also helps to check any controls you put in place are preventing problems starting or getting worse.

You may need to take advice, for example from an occupational health provider, about setting up and managing your health monitoring system.

If you decide to do health monitoring you should:

  • consult workers[79] so they understand the benefits, how it will be done and what they have to do
  • plan how you are going to monitor and how often
  • encourage workers to report musculoskeletal symptoms as early as possible to allow action to stop them getting worse
  • set up a simple reporting method so the information goes to the person who will take action
  • consider using a body map[80] to help individuals or groups pinpoint where their symptoms are
  • review sickness absence records/fit notes and any occupational health advice
  • review the entries in your accident book and your RIDDOR[81] reports
  • investigate any clusters of problems or changes in reporting rates you find
  • ask workers if their work caused the problem or makes it worse and to identify those tasks
  • encourage workers to think about solutions to the problems they report

For smaller workforces, a simple discussion (such as a toolbox talk) may help identify any issues.

Reviewing and interpreting the results

The results of your health monitoring can help you look at whether your risk management system for MSDs is working.

You may identify susceptible people. You may need to take occupational health advice on how to restrict or modify their work. Look for patterns of MSDs among groups of workers or with certain tasks and review your risk assessments.

Consider if:

  • the actions you have taken have been effective
  • risks have been reduced to as low as reasonably practicable[82]
  • your findings suggest you need new control measures

Support workers with MSDs in your workforce

People with MSDs usually recover completely if the problem is spotted early and treated appropriately. But there is an increased risk of their problem coming back, even if the symptoms have gone. As well as health monitoring, there are other things you can do to manage these conditions:

  • manage sickness absence and return to work[83], for example by making adjustments to the way they work. If the person has been off work, they may be able to return before all their symptoms have completely cleared up, as long as this is not against medical advice
  • occupational health providers can support your workers and help you manage musculoskeletal disorders. They can:
    • assess symptoms and may diagnose a specific condition
    • ask about work tasks to try and identify anything contributing to the problem
    • provide fitness-to-work advice, including any restrictions needed
    • provide treatment recommendations, such as physiotherapy[84]
    • visit the workplace to provide further advice
    • help to review risk assessments and workplace controls

Consider each person on a case-by-case basis. It may be necessary to change a worker's duties if a task is causing an MSD or making it worse. They may need to stop doing some tasks temporarily to help them recover. Sometimes they may not be able to return to a particular task.

You can contact:

  • Fit for Work [85] for free, confidential and impartial work-related health advice for employers and employees
  • Healthy Working Lives[86], the free Health for Work Adviceline in Scotland
  • Healthy Working Wales[87], the free Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business in Wales
  • Access to work[88] for government advice on support in work if you have a disability or health condition

Link URLs in this page

  1. MSDshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/msds.htm
  2. Back painhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/backpain/index.htm
  3. Upper limb disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/index.htm
  4. Lower limb disorders https://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/lld/index.htm
  5. Display screen equipment (DSE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/dse/index.htm
  6. Manual handling at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/manual-handling/index.htm
  7. Overview - MSD toolkithttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/toolkit.htm
  8. Overview - MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/index.htm
  9. Introduction to MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/introduction.htm
  10. Developmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/development.htm
  11. Score sheethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/scoresheet.htm
  12. Overview - Liftinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/liftintro.htm
  13. Lifting from pallet videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/liftvid1.htm
  14. Lifting creels of wire videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/liftvid2.htm
  15. Lifting control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/guidance01a.htm
  16. Overview - Carryinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/carryintro.htm
  17. Carrying from conveyor videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/carryvid1.htm
  18. Carrying task in pastry factory videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/carryvid2.htm
  19. Carrying control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/guidance02a.htm
  20. Overview - Team handlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/teamintro.htm
  21. Team handling pallet videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/teamvid1.htm
  22. Team handling container videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/teamvid2.htm
  23. Team handling control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/guidance03a.htm
  24. Psychosocial risk factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/psychosocial.htm
  25. Individual differenceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/individuals.htm
  26. MAC assessment tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/tips.htm
  27. MAC FAQhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/faq.htm
  28. Overview - V-MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/index.htm
  29. Advantages and limitationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/1-advantages-limitations.htm
  30. What you need to knowhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/2-what-you-need-to-know-before.htm
  31. How to use the V-MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/3-how-to-use.htm
  32. Which jobs and workers to assesshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/4-which-jobs-workers-to-assess.htm
  33. Entering datahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/5-entering-data.htm
  34. What does the V-MAC tell you?https://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/6-what-does-vmac-tell-you.htm
  35. Values in the summary tablehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/7-summary-tables.htm
  36. Recording and usinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/8-recording-and-using.htm
  37. Worked exampleshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/9-worked-examples.htm
  38. V-MAC FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/mac/vmac/10-faqs.htm
  39. Overview - ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/index.htm
  40. What is the ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/whatis.htm
  41. Overview - Learning to use the ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/learning.htm
  42. Preparationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/preparation.htm
  43. Risk factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/riskfactors.htm
  44. Observationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/observation.htm
  45. Overview - Making an assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/assessment.htm
  46. Task descriptionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/task.htm
  47. Overview - Assessment guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/assessguide.htm
  48. A. Frequency and repetition of movementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/freqrep.htm
  49. B. Forcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/forceassessment.htm
  50. C. Awkward postureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/awkpostures.htm
  51. D. Additional factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/addfactors.htm
  52. Score sheethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/score.htm
  53. A walkthroughhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/walkthrough.htm
  54. Overview - Try it outhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/try.htm
  55. Book bindinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/bookbinding.htm
  56. Jogging sheetshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/jogging.htm
  57. Collating papershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/papers.htm
  58. Whisky carton assemblyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/cartonassembly.htm
  59. Croissant curlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/croissant.htm
  60. Overview - Analysis and actionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/analysis.htm
  61. What the scores meanhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/scoresmean.htm
  62. Analysing task rotationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/rotation.htm
  63. Overview - Taking actionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/action.htm
  64. Repetitionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/repetition.htm
  65. Forcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/force.htm
  66. Posturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/posture.htm
  67. Durationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/duration.htm
  68. Physical environmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/environment.htm
  69. Psychosocial issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/psychosocial.htm
  70. Art Tool Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/resources.htm
  71. Frequently asked questionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/uld/art/faq.htm
  72. Overview - RAPP toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/pushpull/index.htm
  73. Push/pull riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/pushpull/risks.htm
  74. Push/pull risk assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/pushpull/assessment.htm
  75. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/legislation.htm
  76. Health monitoringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/health-monitoring.htm
  77. Workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/workers-msds.htm
  78. Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/resources.htm
  79. consult workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/index.htm
  80. body maphttps://officialpublisher.tso.co.uk/body-mapping/
  81. RIDDORhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/reportable-incidents.htm
  82. as low as reasonably practicablehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm#_Control_the_risks
  83. sickness absence and return to workhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/sicknessabsence/
  84. physiotherapyhttps://www.csp.org.uk/publications/download-physiotherapy-works-fitness-work
  85. Fit for Work http://fitforwork.org/employee/
  86. Healthy Working Liveshttps://www.healthyworkinglives.scot/
  87. Healthy Working Waleshttp://www.healthyworkingwales.wales.nhs.uk/home
  88. Access to workhttps://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
  89. Manual handling at work: A brief guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg143.htm
  90. Managing upper limb disorders in the workplacehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg171.htm
  91. Manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool) https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg383.htm
  92. Risk assessment of pushing and pulling (RAPP) tool https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg478.htm
  93. Assessment of repetitive tasks of the upper limbs (the ART tool)https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg438.htm
  94. Display screen equipment (DSE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/dse/index.htm
  95. Manual handling at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/MSd/manual-handling/index.htm

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2024-11-12