Health and Safety Executive

Table THORM05

Work-related spine/back disorders: estimated number of cases reported by rheumatologists to MOSS and by occupational physicians to OPRA and estimated rates per 100 000 workers per year, by occupation 2006-2008

Occupation(a) SOC2000 Rheumatologists (MOSS)(p) Occupational physicians (OPRA)(b)(p)
Major group Unit group Annual average estimated cases(c) 2006-2008 Rate per 100 000 workers per year(d) Annual average estimated cases(c) 2006-2008 Rate per 100 000 workers per year(d)
Managers and Senior Officials 1   13 - 29 1
Professional Occupations 2   16 - 21 1
Associate Professional and Technical Occupations 3   43 1 276 6
Nurses   3211 5 1 90 18
Paramedics   3213 4 20 26 127
Police officers (sergeant and below)   3312 4 2 29 18
Adminstrative and Secretarial Occupations 4   33 1 56 2
General office assistants/clerks   4150 13 2 5 1
Skilled Trades Occupations 5   52 2 63 2
Personal Service Occupations 6   27 1 160 7
Nursing auxiliaries and assistants   6111 - - 62 30
Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)   6112 - - 20 126
Care assistants and home carers   6115 5 1 46 7
Sales and Customer Service Occupations 7   10 - 33 1
Process, Plant and Machine Operatives 8   36 2 158 8
Food, drink and tobacco process operatives   8111 4 3 20 13
Heavy goods vehicle drivers   8211 4 1 18 6
Elementary Occupations 9   36 1 127 4
Other goods handling and storage occupations n.e.c.   9149 5 1 35 9
Cleaners, domestics   9233 5 1 22 4
All occupations     305 1 932 3

Notes

  • (a) All SOC2000 Major Groups are shown, as are SOC2000 Unit Groups with 10 or more actual cases reported to either MOSS or OPRA over the period 2002-2004. Figures are shown in light type if they are based on fewer than 10 actual cases.
  • (b) Comparisons of rates based on OPRA reports are likely to be misleading because workers in some occupations are much more likely to have access to occupational physicians than those in others.
  • (c) Some physicians report on a sample basis, for one month in each year. Estimated totals for these are calculated by multiplying the actual number of cases reported by 12.
  • (d) The rates have been calculated using the average of the Office for National Statistics Annual Population Survey (APS) denominators for the years 2006-2008
  • nec Not elsewhere classified.
  • ""-" can mean either zero or rounds to zero.
  • (p) Provisional.

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Updated 09.09.09