The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on
Many of today’s occupational health and safety professionals may not be aware of the unprecedented industrial epidemic that struck Australia in the mid-1980s, and those who were involved may prefer to forget it. Work-related claims for what became known as repetitive strain injuries (RSI) climbed dr...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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CCH Australia Limited
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76341 |
| _version_ | 1848763672559616000 |
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| author | Merdith, Nick |
| author_facet | Merdith, Nick |
| author_sort | Merdith, Nick |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Many of today’s occupational health and safety professionals may not be aware of the unprecedented industrial epidemic that struck Australia in the mid-1980s, and those who were involved may prefer to forget it. Work-related claims for what became known as repetitive strain injuries (RSI) climbed dramatically through the first half of the decade only to decline in the second half. This review revisits the epidemic and its lessons. Although initially
blamed on new technology, in particular computer workstations, the epidemic was the result of the complex and interwoven sociotechnological system of health care practice, the compensation and legal system, industrial relations, the media and the social and political environment at the time. There are important lessons we can take from this epidemic that apply to public health practice today, particularly the nocebo effect of negative communications on the beliefs and expectations that can develop within the sociotechnological system. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:07:11Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-76341 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:07:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | CCH Australia Limited |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-763412020-07-29T05:01:45Z The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on Merdith, Nick Repetitive strain injury musculoskeletal disorder lessons sociotechnological system negative communications nocebo Many of today’s occupational health and safety professionals may not be aware of the unprecedented industrial epidemic that struck Australia in the mid-1980s, and those who were involved may prefer to forget it. Work-related claims for what became known as repetitive strain injuries (RSI) climbed dramatically through the first half of the decade only to decline in the second half. This review revisits the epidemic and its lessons. Although initially blamed on new technology, in particular computer workstations, the epidemic was the result of the complex and interwoven sociotechnological system of health care practice, the compensation and legal system, industrial relations, the media and the social and political environment at the time. There are important lessons we can take from this epidemic that apply to public health practice today, particularly the nocebo effect of negative communications on the beliefs and expectations that can develop within the sociotechnological system. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76341 English CCH Australia Limited fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Repetitive strain injury musculoskeletal disorder lessons sociotechnological system negative communications nocebo Merdith, Nick The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title | The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title_full | The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title_fullStr | The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title_short | The Australian RSI epidemic 30 years on |
| title_sort | australian rsi epidemic 30 years on |
| topic | Repetitive strain injury musculoskeletal disorder lessons sociotechnological system negative communications nocebo |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76341 |