February 28, 2007 will mark the eigth annual International Repetitive strain injury (RSI) Awareness Day — a day set aside each year to provide a focus for creating awareness and action on this issue. International RSI Awareness Day falls on the last day of February every year (because that's the only non-repeating date in the calendar - sometimes its 28 February, sometimes 29!)

RSI, also known as work-related musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), is the umbrella terms used to describe a number of overuse injuries affecting the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and nerves) of the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. Back pain, tendonitis, tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are some common examples. These disorders can be caused by work activities that are frequent and repetitive, activities with awkward postures or requiring frequent bending or twisting, or tasks involving carrying, lifting, pushing or pulling heavy or awkward loads. They are a serious occupational health concern across the world and are recognized as a leading cause of significant human suffering, loss of productivity and an economic burden on society.

On this day, workers, health and safety professionals, health care practitioners and others worldwide take the opportunity to help raise awareness about RSIs and the need for action aimed at prevention, rehabilitation and fair compensation. Campaigns, exhibitions, seminars and conferences are conducted to highlight the work hazards that cause strain injuries, to promote workplace activities on strain prevention and to press for preventive action by employers and governments.

Various resources and events:

On Saturday, 24 February 2007, the RSI Action in association with the London RSI Support Group is organizing presentations on RSI conditions, treatments, therapies and prevention at the University College London, UK. There will be stalls and exhibitions from organisations, groups and individuals dedicated to helping those with RSI conditions [ read more ].

The Workers Health and Safety Centre (WHSC) in Ontario, Canada, offers a wide range of materials, information and training services. It aslo provides a list of RSI Day events across Ontario. For more details, click on www.whsc.on.ca/events/rsi_day.cfm.

    WHSC stressed that, in Canada, 2.3 million people (or one in every 10 adults) - mostly workers - suffer from RSIs and MSDs.

The Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) — one of the three CIS Centers in Canada — has recently produced a Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet on Preventing MSDs In the Office. Many other resources are available on this topic on the IAPA site.

The ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety is another important source of reference that addresses the issue of work-related RSIs and MSDs. It includes chapters on Musculoskeletal System and Ergonomics, as well as the following articles : Musculoskeletal disorders among fishermen and workers in the fish processing industry, Musculoskeletal disorders among visual display units operators and Effect of psychosocial work factors on musculoskeletal disorders.

The ILO CISDOC bibliographic database contains references to numerous books, training manuals, articles, etc. on various OHS-related subjects including RSIs. CIS has extracted recent additions to CISDOC on repetitive work and musculoskeletal diseases, including complete bibliographic details, abstracts and internet links when available.