January 6, 2006—The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has funded a new database expanding and updating existing information on important British court judgments in repetitive strain injury (RSI) cases. HSE will use the database to help evaluate the effectiveness of regulations and guidance, with the ultimate aim of reducing the number of sufferers from this debilitating industrial injury.
The database will also benefit all those with an interest in work-related RSI, including legal and health professionals working in the field, trade unions, insurers, designers, employers, expert witnesses in medicine and ergonomics, and people with RSI.
The Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD) database provides free access to registered users. It provides details of judgments, including the factors that courts considered important in reaching their decisions, the degree of care exercised by employers, and the amount of damages awarded to claimants.
It is estimated that in 2004-05 nearly 375,000 people in Great Britain suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) mainly affecting the upper limbs or neck that was caused or made worse by their current or past work.
Many working days are lost across a wide range of occupations. For general information about preventing RSI, back pain, and other musculoskeletal disorders, visit HSE.
