Workers in denial over OOS

When an ache or a pain disappears, workers are likely to forget they need to change the way they work. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Most people value their personal space and this includes their work space - try moving someone's chair or raising their computer screen to improve ergonomics and you'll probably be told to put things back the way they were.

However, experts in the diagnosis and treatment of occupational overuse syndrome (OOS) say resistance to change in the workplace can contribute to ongoing OOS issues.

Wendy Spence, health nurse practitioner for Business Health Services, says too many people resist ergonomic advice either because they don't like to be told or because once their ache or pain disappears, they forget they need to change the way they work.

"I tell people with aches and pains they need to raise their chair and they say 'that's what the last person told me'. I have been talking exercising and stretching to people for 18 years and still only about five per cent do anything about it," says Spence.

IT workers are included in those looking for a quick fix.

"They say just give me a couple of pills; they don't want to hear they need six weeks of specific exercises," says Spence.

Spence says logically OOS should never develop at all; that it does it is a commentary on the pace of life and the fact technology allows people to remain sedentary. High performers and perfectionists are also typical OOS candidates because they're tense, stressed and develop OOS simply because they want to do a good job.

Dionne Barton, spokesperson for the Department of Labour's Occupational Safety and Health Service, says employers are responsible for creating a work environment where early reporting of OOS symptoms is the norm and where these reports are responded to objectively.

It is the employee's responsibility to report discomfort promptly, attend training, self-manage, do any prudent exercises, and say no to OOS-inducing tasks when appropriate, says Barton. She says psychosocial factors may also be important.

"Once a person has the beginnings of an OOS problem, how they and the people round them react to it is important [to their recovery]," says Barton.

However, Barton says while some authorities believe OOS may be almost entirely caused by psychosocial factors (such as not liking a job or work colleagues) the Department of Labour does not.

"What we do agree is that psychosocial factors can influence primary prevention. For example, a person working in an unpleasant environment may never be able to relax," says Barton.

Spence says when it comes to treating OOS, the more specialised help people get the better.

"At the moment, too many are told 'off you go for to 10 sessions with the physio' instead of being helped to change the way they work and react," says Spence.

With people more focused on the need for work/life balance and regular exercise, surely OOS problems are in decline? Spence says this may be true - changes in the Health and Safety Employment Act 1992 put more requirements on employers to avoid OOS causes and there are fewer stigmas associated with employees putting their hand up.

The Accident Compensation Corporation requires proof OOS conditions have been caused as a result of workplace factors. Spence says this is difficult to prove for salaried staff, and next to impossible for the self employed.

"People with OOS focus on how it occurred while they were working because that's the only way to be compensated. Yet most just want treatment and to be back at work."

Suffering from OOS?

* Get a diagnosis from a professional or start with a self diagnosis using the Pocket Ergonomist guide at www.osh.dol.govt.nz/order/catalogue/pdf/ooslist.pdf

* Consult an ergonomics specialist, a trusted medical practitioner such as a GP, musculoskeletal medicine specialist or physiotherapist.

* Set goals to alleviate symptoms and prevent further problems.

* The sedentary nature of many IT roles may lead to deep vein thrombosis. If you work seated at a keyboard for much of the day, get up and move regularly and try to walk for 30 consecutive minutes each day.