Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Any person who repeats the same movement a lot of times can develop repetitive strain injury. Factory workers, computer operators, sports people, and musicians are at the most risk because their jobs involve making the same movement thousands of times. The 1^222323 of RSI include: pain and/or burning in the damaged area, difficulty in moving, and loss of feeling.

It is difficult to QQ RSI but you can avoid it before it starts. To 0J] ^ RSI, workers at risk should:

• take regular breaks from their work to stretch and
move about

• learn to sit and move correctly so they use their bodies
naturally

People who use computers for a long time have a high 503 of developing RSI. Here are some basic rules for working safely at a computer:

• take regular breaks to stretch and relax

• move the screen to eye level or a little bit lower

• don't hold the mouse for too long or too tightly

• sit with your back JJSSI' shoulders down and your
neck straight

• keep your wrists relaxed, your elbows at about 90
degrees and the lower parts of your arms parallel to
the desktop

• keep your feet flat on the floor

Vocabulary

Match the liTf3flK3iTKfflwords in the text with the meanings (1-6) below.

1a danger

2 can be moved into different shapes or positions

3 signs of an illness

4 stop something happening

5 to make an illness better

6 without tension or strain

aelbows at 90 degrees

bfeet flat on the floor

chead and neck straight and relaxed

dlower arm horizontal

eshoulders down

fupper arm vertical

guse an adjustable chair

Speaking and Writing

5 Work in pairs. Discuss the risks and sensible
safety precautions for another activity. You can
use your own ideas or choose one of these. Then
compare your ideas with the rest of the class.

• using a mobile phone

• cycling

• using a welding torch

6 Make a safety information leaflet about the topic
you chose in Exercise 6. Write a list of five things
the user should do. Draw and label a diagram to
make the information clear.

Get real

Find a safety information leaflet or advice on the Internet about a different health and safety issue. How good do you think the advice is?

Engineering 15