What is a Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD), and can you claim?

If your job involves repetitive hand or arm movements for long periods, you may already be familiar with the ache that builds during a shift. For many production line and repetitive-task workers, that ache eventually becomes something more serious: a Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD).

WRULDs are one of the most common types of occupational injury in the UK, and one of the most under-reported. Workers often assume the pain is just part of the job. In many cases, it isn’t, and it’s preventable.

In this blog, our industrial disease solicitors explain the risks of Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders, who’s affected and how to make a claim.

What is a WRULD?

A WRULD stands for ‘Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder’, which is an umbrella term for symptoms affecting an employee’s upper limbs.

These types of injuries are common in sectors that involve prolonged repetitive work. Although there aren’t any legal regulations for employers to consider when managing the risks of WRULD, they do have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, which are explained in more detail below.

Examples of Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders

Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders can make it difficult to continue working in the same or a similar role, and they can even affect your ability to carry out simple day-to-day tasks.

Symptoms include:

• Stiffness
• Joint pain
• Aches and pains
• Cramps
• Burning
• Swelling
• Redness
• Weakness
• Tingling

Common conditions that can affect the upper limbs include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tenosynovitis
• Tennis or golfer’s elbow
• Trigger finger
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI)

These conditions don’t usually appear overnight. They tend to build gradually, starting as mild discomfort and progressing to pain that affects grip strength, movement, and even sleep if the underlying cause isn’t addressed.

Which occupations are most affected by WRULDs?

Production line and assembly workers are most affected by WRULDs due to physical strain, such as repetitive gripping and poor posture stemming from insufficient breaks during packing and sorting items.

Other at-risk roles include:

• Warehouse picking (stretching and heavy lifting)
• Meat and food processing (cutting, boning, jointing, trussing and evisceration of meat/food)
• Checkout and retail scanning (shoulder, arm and hand movement and twisting of the upper body)
• Keyboard-heavy office roles (posture and a poor working environment, including lighting and temperature)
• Hairdressing (poor posture from being on your feet all day and arm and hand movement)

Why production line work carries particular risk

Production line workers are at particular risk for WRULDs due to repetitive actions and continuous, fixed-pace movement set by the line. These workers also have their own set of rules (separate from the guidance under the Working Time Regulations 1998) when it comes to rest break entitlements because of the high level of continuity required.

How does repetitive work actually cause these conditions?

Factors that contribute to WRULDs from repetitive work include:

• Insufficient breaks
• An incorrect workplace set-up
• A lack of training on equipment
• A cold or draughty work environment
• Poor posture

In the WRULD claims our personal injury solicitors see, a few themes come up consistently:

• “The line moved too fast to keep proper technique”
• “There were no proper breaks”
• “I raised it with my manager, but nothing changed”

These comments point to specific failures in how the work was organised and managed by the employer.

What should employers be doing to avoid WRULDs?

Employers are legally required to protect their employees from harm, including Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders. To avoid WRULDs, employers must:

• Carry out a risk assessment, identify potential hazards and take action to control the risk (this may include making reasonable adjustments)
• Where possible, avoid employees carrying out repetitive work to avoid an injury
• Protect workers who use DSE daily for continuous periods of an hour or more
• Protect workers who are exposed to vibration (e.g. by using power tools)
• Consider risks when designing new workstations

It is also an employer’s responsibility to ensure that employees know how to report an injury. Read more about reporting an injury or accident at work here.

Examples of some control measures employees may implement to reduce the risk of WRULD injuries to their employees include:

• Automate processes where possible
• Ensure employees are adequately trained for the task they are undertaking
• Educate employees on the risk of WRULD, symptoms to look out for, and how to report any problems
• Introduce a system of job/task rotation
• Ensure that employees are taking regular breaks
• Where possible, avoid employees working in cold environments 

Can you claim for a WRULD?

If your Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder was due to negligence from your employer, you may be able to make a personal injury claim. To claim for a WRULD, you will need to prove your employer has been negligent, which may include:

• Not conducting risk assessments
  • Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the minimum employers must do is identify potential hazards and take action to control the risk
• Not protecting employees who use DSE daily for continuous periods of an hour or more
  • This includes PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones
• Not asking employees about risks from their area of work
• Not taking psychosocial factors, such as excessive workloads and tight deadlines, into consideration
• Not keeping a record of the injury in the accident book
• Failing to offer reasonable adjustments after symptoms reported to them

Time limits for Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder claims

You will generally have three years from your ‘date of knowledge’ to bring forward a WRULD claim. Unlike a one-off accident claim, where the date of knowledge is relatively straightforward, the start date for a WRULD claim is more complicated.

Generally speaking, a court assesses the date of knowledge from the date you first noticed symptoms and those symptoms could reasonably have been attributed to your work. However, if exposure to the repetitive work is ongoing, there is an argument to say that there is an ongoing course of action and therefore your date of knowledge may be from the date that activity ceases or when you first instruct legal representatives. Read more about limitation periods in personal injury claims here.

Why early reporting and diagnosis matter for making a claim

Reporting and seeking an early diagnosis are important when pursuing a WRULD claim. The more time your employer’s insurer has to start their investigation, the better, as they need to gather evidence such as witness statements, medical records, accident book logs and photographs to enable the claims process to progress smoothly.

What to do if you think your job has caused a WRULD

If you believe your job has caused an upper limb disorder, you should seek medical advice and get the condition formally diagnosed. Your solicitor will ask for medical records when building your claim.

If you have notified your employer of any symptoms, there should be a record in the accident book, which can be used as evidence in your claim.

It’s also a good idea to keep a record of your shift patterns, the types of tasks you carry out and any equipment you use.

After the above have been carried out, the next step is to seek legal advice from our Personal Injury team. Our specialist lawyers offer guidance on industrial and occupational disease claims and can talk you through the next steps.

Further information

If you’ve suffered a Work-Related Upper Limb Disorder due to negligence from your employer, you may be entitled to claim compensation.

Call our Personal Injury team on 0117 325 2929 or fill out our online enquiry form.