Alarm bells ring: new RSI award

A former Shell employee has been awarded £25,000 in compensation for a repetitive strain injury.

A designer based at Shell Mex House in central London, Michelle Gould was involved in producing CAD drawings. She explained in a three-day hearing that she found her workstation unsuitable. "It turns out," she said, "that I must have been holding the mouse in an awkward way. I was never shown how to use it."

When she experienced hand and arm pains, Shell sent her to a doctor. Her workload was reduced, but only for a limited time and the pain subsequently returned. Finally, she felt compelled to leave her job.

A spokesmen for Ms Gould's former employer expressed disappointment at the judgement. "Shell takes any kind of work-related injury extremely seriously," he added. The company is considering whether an appeal would be appropriate.

OK - holding the mouse the wrong way may sound a bit silly. Nevertheless, it has been accepted as cause for compensation in this case, which highlights the need for consistent implementation of H&S policies. The HSE set the tone for such awards at the beginning of the year, when it announced its intention to support heavier fines against organisations found to have violated health and safety requirements.

Elliott Chase