It might seem fanciful to assert that office chairs are responsible for an increasing proportion of workers' compensation claims, but recent figures show how musculo-skeletal injuries are increasing in office working environments.

How is this happening?

If you walk into any computer-based office environment, have a look around and count how many people you can see sitting 'properly' in the way we all know is good for us. Compare that with the number perched at the front of their chairs, legs crossed, one foot on the floor, body tilted diagonally to the computer monitor, arm stretched wide to the mouse. Count the others collapsed back away from the desk, hunching shoulders forward to peer into the screen.

It is no wonder that even in relatively safe working environments such as the modern office, even with access to good ergonomic advice and furniture, back and occupational overuse injuries (OOS) injuries are on the increase.

The situation is far worse for labourers, factory and floor operators! Although they are told to stand straight, stand with correct posture and work on the factory floor without compromising the integrity of their spine, how are they really to know, without correct ergonomic and postural advice?

In the Federal Government's Comcare 2003 Annual Report, one of "the major issues in claims management (was)... increasing claim numbers, particularly the more complex claims for conditions such as...occupational overuse syndrome". Further, "there is an increasing incidence of high cost claims, particularly those for... occupational overuse injuries". These accounted for 20.8 per cent of the total cost of claims for the year. Sprains and strains and back injury added a further 43.8 per cent, making musculo-skeletal injuries a hefty 64.6 per cent of federal government employee workers' compensation claims.

There were 9,688 workplace back injuries in 2004/05, representing 27 per cent of all workplace injuries. Back injuries cost $181 million and involved lost time of 70,556 weeks. In 2004/05, 67 per cent of back injuries occurred to males. In 2005 the total cost of workers compensation claims resulted $685 million on average, the cost incurred per injury was $18,942, with half these costing $6807 or less for NSW alone.

More recently, the University of Maryland found that Repetitive Motion Illness or Cumulative Trauma Disorders, both of which are also known as Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) represent almost half of all Occupational Illnesses and that 1% of the population has been estimated to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome.