Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) mainly comprise:

  • work related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) from repetitive tasks 
  • back injuries from repetitive or awkward lifting.

WRULDs are chronic (persistent) injuries such as tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome and result from repetitive tasks such as on production lines. WRULDs account for around 23% of cases of occupational ill health in food and drink manufacture.

Chronic back pain can result from repetitive or awkward lifting (e.g. on packing lines, production lines) and account for around 35% of cases of occupational ill health in food and drink manufacture.

Main causes of musculoskeletal injury

In the food and drink industries, most musculoskeletal injuries arise from just 5 causes:

  • cutting, boning, jointing, trussing and evisceration (such as meat and poultry)
  • packing products (such as cheese, confectionery and biscuits)
  • stacking/unstacking containers (such as boxes, crates and sacks)
  • handling drinks containers (such as delivery of casks, kegs and crates)
  • pushing wheeled racks (such as oven racks and trolleys of produce)

These are key tasks to which attention should be paid when carrying out risk assessments.

How do we know if we have a problem?

Injury and health problems show up in different ways, such as:

  • cases of injury to backs and limbs
  • aches and pains
  • poor product quality
  • high material waste
  • low output
  • frequent worker complaints and rest stops
  • do-it-yourself improvements to work stations and tools (e.g. seat padding)
  • workers wearing bandages, splints, rub-ons, copper bracelets or magnets.

If you have a problem it will be costing money from sickness absence, high staff turnover, retraining, loss of production etc.. 

Managing the risk

  • Identify which tasks present a serious risk of chronic injury (e.g. from repetitive upper body work or frequent bending)
  • Assess these tasks in detail to decide what factors lead to the risk
  • Introduce mechanisation where this is reasonably practicable, e.g. automation, bulk handling, vacuum lifters 
  • Where mechanisation is not possible, introduce measures to prevent injury, e.g. improved ergonomic design of work stations and work areas, job rotation, training, medical surveillance, job transfer
  • Consult fully with trade union safety representatives or other employee representatives and workers to ensure effective and workable solutions to problems.

Further guidance

HSG196 - Moving food and drink - Manual handling solutions for the food and drink industries [38](100 case studies) 

Link URLs in this page

  1. Food & drink manufacturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/index.htm
  2. Common risks - in food and drink manufacturing industrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/industries.htm
  3. Meat, poultry and fishhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/slaughter.htm
  4. Milling, animal feedshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/grain.htm
  5. Bakery productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/bakery.htm
  6. Dairy productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dairy.htm
  7. Fruit and vegetableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/fruitveg.htm
  8. Alcoholic and soft drinkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/drink.htm
  9. Chilled and frozen products https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/chilled.htm
  10. Supply chainhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/chain.htm
  11. Safety risks overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/safety-hazards.htm
  12. Manual handlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/handling.htm
  13. Slips on wet or contaminated floorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/slips.htm
  14. Falls from heighthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/falls.htm
  15. Workplace transporthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/transport.htm
  16. Struck by somethinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/struckby.htm
  17. Overview - Food processing machineryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/machinery.htm
  18. European CEN 'C' Standards for food processing machineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/standards.htm
  19. Packaging machineryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/package.htm
  20. Overview - Prevention of dust explosionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosion.htm
  21. Selection and use of vacuum cleanershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosionapp1.htm
  22. Explosion relief for small bins and siloshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dustexplosionapp2.htm
  23. Overview - Occupational health topicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/healthtopics.htm
  24. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/musculoskeletal.htm
  25. Dermatitishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/dermatitis.htm
  26. Noise induced hearing losshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/noise.htm
  27. Overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/asthma.htm
  28. Low dust flourhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/low-flour-dust.htm
  29. Exposure to disinfectantshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/disinfectants.htm
  30. Work-related stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/stress.htm
  31. Overview - Occupational rehabilitationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/index.htm
  32. OH Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/rehabilitation/casestudies.htm
  33. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/information.htm
  34. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/experience.htm
  35. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/links.htm
  36. Food and Drink Manufacture Health and Safety Forumhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/forum.htm
  37. Topics of interesthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/live.htm
  38. HSG196 - Moving food and drink - Manual handling solutions for the food and drink industries https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg196.htm
  39. Moving food and drink: Manual handling solutions for the food and drink industrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg196.htm
  40. Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/index.htm
  41. Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/experience.htm
  42. Musculoskeletal disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/index.htm
  43. Upper limb disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/index.htm
  44. Back painhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/backpain/index.htm

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Updated 2023-06-15