Lothian Repetitive Strain Injury Support Group
C/O Lothian TUCRC, Basement, 26 Albany StreetEdinburgh, EH1 3OH:
Telephone: 01501 743140 (home/evening); 0131 556 7318 (LTUCRC)

events  NEW International Wokers Memorial Day Seminar 28th April 2006 click on link below.

Workers Memorial Day Seminar

 

RSI Seminar Saturday the 26^th November 2005: summary by Jim Swan

Dr Ewan Macdonald

Before Dr Macdonald gave his presentation he asked people attending what questions they wish answered on he subject of RSI.

He then went on to provide a brief history of occupational medicine which over centuries had linked certain occupations to specific illnesses and later the substances which caused the certain illnesses. 

Dr Macdonald then highlighted the fact that RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) was not the only general term used to cover the associated conditions.

Other synonyms for RSI include: Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD), Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) and Repetitive Motion Syndrome (RMS). The more specific disorders were Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), Tendonitis, Tenosynovitis and synonyms for some conditions such as tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, writer’s cramp.

All of which occur from prolonged, repetitious use of the hands which results in pain, burning, swelling, tingling, numbness, loss of dexterity and weakness.

However some conditions were associated with pinching and holding a static position for abnormally long periods. 

The upper body was not the only part which could be injured through work practice and all of the musculoskeletal parts can suffer from occupational hazards.

The diffuse RSI where the patient cannot identify where the pain is worst can sometimes be caused by an initial injury not being identified quickly enough resulting in it becoming chronic in which case the brain takes over and sends increasingly wider signals to the patient which are meant to ensure no further injury to that location.

The conditions are similar if not the same as sports injuries. However an athlete would have a greater chance of having an injury accurately identified and a remedy implemented than that of a worker.

On the question of GPs he made it clear that they were general practitioners and would not tend to specialise in occupational health. It would also be extremely difficult for the GP to make an accurate assessment in the time available to them in an NHS clinic.

It is necessary to look for cause and to do this a person must have knowledge of the associated workplace and the work practice used. Symptoms do not always identify cause and can lead to wrong diagnosis because the symptoms of many conditions are similar.

 

Solicitor.

Glen Millar: Thompsons

Glen gave a presentation which outlined the difficulties associated with getting the necessary burden of proof to pursue a personal injury liability claim for RSI type conditions.

He examined the various “no blame” compensations systems prevailing in other countries which removed the costs associated with burden of proof and court proceedings and the stress caused to the pursuers.

He noted that in the UK where the system was adversarial that for every successful claim ''there could be another unsuccessful''

It was therefore extremely important to keep accurate records of the development of the condition and the associated workplace practices. Any reported problems especially where more then one person has developed the condition should be brought to the notice of the employer.

The European Law clearly states that employers have a duty of care to carry out a risk assessment of the workplace and workers can request that an assessment is carried out. This is important because it can be used to identify that the employer had the knowledge of the problem and did not act on it.

Access to evidence is essential to win a case. If insurance companies know the evidence is available they will tend to settle out of court.

 

''Trade Unions retain specialist law firms to carry out personal injury claims. Where there is overwhelming evidence & a large number of similar cases, schemes have in the past been and can be agreed which eliminate the requirement for Court proceedings & have an agreed matrix or tariff system for payment to claimants.''

Unfortunately we received apologies from Ian Tasker STUC and Hilda Palmer of Greater Manchester RSI Support and Action Group both because of situations beyond their control.