§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on(a) research, (b) prevention and (c) compensation for repetitive strain injuries.
§ Mr. NichollsSection 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places general duties on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees; and in particular the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health. These general duties apply to the prevention of repetitive strain injury and are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities.
The HSE intends to publish later this year new guidance on work-related upper limb disorders which will give authoritative advice to employers on ways to prevent them. HSE funds an extramural biomedical research programme which includes support for research into repetitive strain injury. A report from the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), "Clinical Epidemiological Study of Relations between Upper Limb Soft Tissue Disorders and Repetitive Movements at Work", has recently been published.
The HSE has also funded research projects at the IOM and the university of Birmingham which investigate the relationship between work routines and activities and specific upper limb disorders. Reports on these studies are still awaited.
State compensation for industrial injuries is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.