Top tips to reduce repetitive strain injury

New research from HR specialists, Hewitt, has revealed that employee sickness is costing companies more than one thousand pounds per employee every year.

The survey also showed the biggest causes of sickness absence are flu, muscular injuries such as back pain and repetitive strain injury, and stress.

Prevention of repetitive strain injury is the best (and most cost effective) solution. Here are 5 top tips for preventing repetitive strain injury in your company.

- Sit upright with a straight back and shoulders relaxed, do not slouch!
- If your desk, keyboard, monitor or chair is not at the right height, adjust it.
- Keep your hands should in naturally straightforward position from the wrists.
- Take a break every 5 to 10 minutes for at least 30 seconds, stretch and walk away from the screen.
- Take some exercise and drink plenty of water.

Head of UK Corporate Healthcare Consulting at Hewitt said, "Reducing absenteeism is the "ultimate goal" for employers. To achieve this, they need to approach the problem from a total health management perspective. This means collecting quality data on the reasons behind absenteeism and developing a coordinated programme to encourage good health in their workforce."