Health and Safety Executive

Table ULNOCC2_3YR

Estimated prevalence and rates of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders mainly affecting the upper limbs or neck caused or made worse by current or most recent job, by occupation, for people working in the last 12 months, averaged 2003/04-2005/06.

Occupation description + Major, sub-major or minor group^ Illness ascribed to their current/most recent job
Sample cases Averaged estimated prevalence (thousands) Averaged rate per 100 000 employed in the last 12 months
central 95% C.I. central 95% C.I.
lower upper lower upper
Managers and senior officials 1 118 20 16 24 480 390 560
Corporate managers 11 90 15 12 19 460 360 560
Managers and proprietors in agriculture and services 12 28 5 3 6 540 340 740
Professional occupations 2 112 19 15 23 530 430 640
Science and technology professionals 21 31 5 3 7 550 340 750
Health professionals 22 8 * * * * * *
Teaching and research professionals 23 41 7 5 9 470 320 620
  Teaching professionals 231 38 6 4 8 460 320 610
  Research professionals 232 3 * * * * * *
Business and public service professionals 24 32 6 4 8 620 400 840
Associate professional and technical occupations 3 164 29 24 33 720 600 830
Science and technology associate professionals 31 18 * * * * * *
Health and social welfare associate professionals 32 69 12 9 14 1080 820 1330
Protective service occupations 33 11 * * * * * *
Culture, media and sports occupations 34 29 5 3 7 880 560 1210
Business and public service associate professionals 35 37 7 4 9 440 290 580
Administrative and secretarial occupations 4 114 19 15 23 520 430 620
Administrative occupations 41 75 13 10 16 470 360 570
Secretarial and related occupations 42 39 6 4 8 700 470 920
Skilled trades occupations 5 189 32 28 37 1010 860 1150
Skilled agricultural trades 51 14 * * * * * *
Skilled metal and electrical trades 52 67 11 9 14 930 710 1150
Skilled construction and building trades 53 82 14 11 17 1260 980 1540
  Construction trades 531 61 11 8 13 1230 920 1540
  Building trades 532 21 3 2 5 1350 740 1960
Textiles, printing and other skilled trades 54 26 5 3 7 810 490 1140
Personal service occupations 6 82 13 10 16 590 460 720
Caring personal service occupations 61 60 10 7 12 560 420 700
Leisure and other personal service occupations 62 22 4 2 5 670 390 950
Sales and customer service occupations 7 61 10 8 13 430 320 550
Sales occupations 71 51 9 6 11 440 310 570
  Sales assistants and retail cashiers 711 43 7 5 10 410 270 540
  Sales related occupations 712 8 * * * * * *
Customer service occupations 72 10 * * * * * *
Process, plant and machine operatives 8 111 20 16 23 910 740 1080
Process, plant and machine operatives 81 64 11 8 14 1030 770 1280
  Process operatives 811 23 4 2 5 1100 650 1560
  Plant and machine operatives 812 10 * * * * * *
  Assemblers and routine operatives 813 21 4 2 5 1010 570 1440
  Construction operatives 814 10 * * * * * *
Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives 82 47 8 6 11 790 560 1020
  Transport drivers and operatives 821 37 7 4 9 730 490 970
  Mobile machine drivers and operatives 822 10 * * * * * *
Elementary occupations 9 105 18 14 21 510 410 610
Elementary trades, plant and storage related occupations 91 45 8 5 10 750 530 980
Elementary administration and service occupations 92 60 10 7 13 410 300 520
All occupations (illness ascribed to the current or most recent job)   1056 181 169 192 620 580 660
Other job caused illness#   288 49 43 55 .. .. ..
Total (illness ascribed to any job)   1344 230 217 242 790 750 830

Notes:

..  Not applicable

*  Sample numbers too small to provide reliable estimates.

+ See Appendix 4 in the 'Self-reported work-related illness in 2004/05' (SWI04/05) report for details of Standard Occupational Classification.

# Includes those who did not answer the question identifying the job to which their illness was ascribed and those who said their illness was ascribed to a job other than their current or most recent in the last 12 months.

^Within occupation major groups, some sub-major and minor group information has been provided where some of the categories have sufficiently large sample cases to provide reliable estimates.

Figures in italics are estimates based on fewer than 30 sample cases.


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Updated 13.03.09