01 Sep 2011
By Tan Lay Leng
White-collar professionals may think they have very different jobs from assembly line operators but they have one thing in common.
Together, they make up the bulk of patients with complaints of chronic pain in their necks, shoulders and arms – the classic symptoms caused by repetitive movements in an unchanged position for long periods, such as typing on a computer or assembling a computer chip.
Such strains from overexertion at work are among the most common workplace injuries being reported in Singapore today. They can also be caused by lifting heavy objects or maintaining awkward postures.
They rank behind slips and trips, being struck by falling objects and falling from heights, such as from ladders.
In recognition of the realities of modern work, the Workplace Safety and Health Act will be expanded from this month to all workplaces, instead of just higher risk ones. The Act will cover 14 more sectors, such as retail, finance, administrative and support services.
That means that more employers can be taken to task for failing to protect workers.
Companies that do not conduct risk assessment and take reasonable measures to ensure that their employees are safe in the workplace can be fined up to $500,000.
However, employees are themselves often unaware of injuries that can occur due to work. One of them is Mr Ben Liu, 28.
Within a few months of buying a new laptop for work, Mr Liu, an agent with Dennis Wee Properties, developed unbearable shoulder aches from carrying the 5kg bag around.
The prolonged time he spent in front of his computer on work, games and social networking did not help. And then there was the neck pain from cradling his mobile phone between his head and shoulder when he talked to his clients.
The other whammy was the weight of his 111kg body, plus the fact that he practised martial arts for 10 years.
All these added up to chronic shoulder and back woes that became excruciating after a long day at work.
Finally, in January, he went to Physioclinic, a private physiotherapy centre which offers treatment for pain and injuries.
The principal physiotherapist, Ms Michelle Kwong, felt he needed not only physiotherapy to strengthen and condition his muscles and joints but also advanced pain treatment, such as shockwave therapy and sonotron (pulsed radio frequency therapy), to help speed up the healing.
As with other therapy centres and hospitals, Physioclinic is seeing more people like Mr Liu who have aches caused by work.
Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) ergonomics clinic gets about 800 new patients monthly with neck, upper back and lower back aches, a number which has grown at about 5 per cent annually for the past three years.
Dr Fong Yuke Tien, senior consultant and director at SGH’s occupational medicine, said most self-referred patients have work-related issues, such as repetitive injuries of the upper limbs.
A similar trend is noted by Dr Chng Shih Kiat, Raffles Medical’s deputy medical director.
Although these injuries are not exclusive to any profession, about half the patients are office workers, and six out of 10 have neck pain, said Mr Lim Hun Teck, principal physiotherapist at Raffles Physiotherapy Centre.
Even though figures are not available, Mr William Ho, chief occupational therapist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s rehabilitation department, observed that most of the patients at the rehabilitation department are white-collar employees, with a significant number of IT professionals.
“About half the patients have back pain, 30 per cent have neck pain and the rest De Quervain’s disease, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries,” he said. De Quervain’s disease involves swollen and painful wrists.
Statistics from the Workplace Safety and Health Council in Singapore show people are becoming more aware of how their health can be compromised by their work environment.
A total of 3,760 injuries were reported last year at less risky workplaces (excluding factories, construction sites, ship-building facilities, airports and laboratories).
The annual figure has risen from 3,200 to 3,330 between 2007 and 2009, mainly because of increased awareness of reporting requirements, said the council.
As for Mr Liu, he is now pain-free after seven months of treatment.
He has changed some of his habits. His laptop has been replaced with a much lighter netbook and he has cut down the number of documents he carries.
“Physiotherapy looks at the whole body to get to the root cause, not just at piecemeal parts to treat the symptoms. It is definitely worth every penny in your wallet to get rid of the suffering and pain,” he said.
lltan@sph.com.sg
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