Business loses 4.9 million days a year to work-related back pain - HSE launches campaign to make bad backs 'Better Backs'

HSE press release E077:05 - 2 June 2005

British business loses an estimated 4.9 million days to employee absenteeism through work-related back conditions each year, with each affected employee taking an average of 19 days off work, according to the latest figures from the 2003/4 Labour Force Survey.

The charity BackCare meanwhile estimates the overall cost of back pain - to the NHS, business and the economy - at £5 billion per year.

Against this background the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is launching its 'Better Backs' campaign on 6th June. The campaign will offer concise, practical tips on how to avoid back-related injuries in the workplace to both businesses and employees via a dedicated microsite www.betterbacks.hse.gov.uk

Visiting the North East today Lord Hunt, Work and Pensions Minister said:

"Occupational ill health and injury accounts for 40 million working days lost with back pain alone accounting for 4.9 million. The effects on those business and individuals is almost incalculable. Its not only impacting on business' profits its affecting productivity and stopping employees' enjoying their social life.

Everyone needs to take responsibility for tackling this issue - and by taking simple, sensible precautions in work and at home we can collectively work to reduce the misery of back pain."

The prevalence of work-related back conditions is fairly even across the countries and regions of Great Britain, with around one person in every hundred affected. Only the North East has a clearly higher rate, perhaps due to its history of coalmining and other heavy industry.

Regional Breakdown of Work-related Back conditions

Government office region within Great Britain	Rate per 100 ever employed	Uncertainty range (95% Confidence interval)
Great Britain (average)	1.1	1.0 - 1.2
North East	2.0	1.5 - 2.4
North West	1.2	0.97 - 1.4
Yorkshire and Humber	1.0	0.81 - 1.2
East Midlands	1.2	0.89 - 1.4
West Midlands	1.1	0.84 - 1.3
East	0.98	0.77 - 1.2
London	0.99	0.77 - 1.2
South East	0.91	0.74 - 1.1
South West	1.3	1.0 - 1.5
England	1.1	1.0-1.2
Wales	1.2	0.87 - 1.5
Scotland	0.86	0.65 - 1.1

Estimated rate (%) of self-reported Musculo Skeletal Disorders (MSDs) mainly affecting the back, caused or made ill by work, by country and government office region within England, for people ever employed: 2003/04

The overriding point is that no region escapes back problems. Anyone, anywhere, can get a bad back, and it continues to be the biggest cause of employee absence.

Lord Hunt added:

"The financial impact of back pain is enormous so our message to everyone is clear - A bad back could cost you more than you think.

There is a misconception that preventative health and safety initiatives are costly and difficult to implement, but in fact many are extremely cost effective and will save businesses from losing revenue through staff absenteeism, as well as increasing productivity."

Notes to editors

The Health and Safety Executive

Britain's Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for the regulation of almost all the risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain.

Better Backs Campaign

The HSE is running a major national initiative this summer focussed on reducing the incidence of back pain at work. Currently manual handling is a major cause of back injury. As many as 1 in 6 work-related sickness absences are due to bad backs - bad both for people and for business. The overall aim of the Backs! 2005 initiative is to promote the use of lifting and handling aids as a means of reducing the incidence of back injuries at work.

The main phase of the Backs! 2005 campaign will involve a nationally co-ordinated publicity, education and inspection programme over a 4 week period from 13 June to 8 July. The programme is being developed in partnership with Local Authorities and other stakeholders and will help encourage sensible ways of reducing work-related back problems.

Self-reported work-related illness in 2003/04: Results from the Labour Force Survey

The full findings from SWI03/04 were published on 26 May 2005.

Lord Hunt

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath is the Work and Pensions Minister with responsibility for the Health and Safety Executive.