Musculoskeletal Prevention
3,000 individuals a week have to give up work because of a prolonged illness, disability or injury and 25,000 people are restricted to a life on benefits every year through workplace injury. The financial and social costs are huge to society and the Government and Health and Safety Commission have stated an intention to reduce sickness absence by 30% by the year 2010*
The TUC are advising governing and professional bodies that employers should be legally duty bound to provide rehabilitation for their employees.
Currently only 23% of employers are providing access to rehabilitation but those who do have seen the benefits in terms of:
- less down time and lost productivity
- reduced levels of absence and shortage of skilled workforce
- reduced litigation costs
- reduced insurance premiums
- reduced costs in temporary and agency staff
- improved industrial relations
- evidence of corporate responsibility