HSE highlights 'leading causes' of staff absence

Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has highlighted the leading factors behind employees taking time off from work because of sickness.

The HSE believes that, in addition to slips, trips and falls, employees are absent from work as a result of sickness for a number of other reasons, including stress, violence and also disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

"It has been estimated that sickness absence costs the NHS alone £1 billion a year and this causes inevitable implications for the effective delivery of health and social care services," said the HSE.

"The NHS employs approximately 1.7 million people across about 400 organisations and when included with the wider social care sector, this figure rises to 2.6 million workers," it added.

Musculoskeletal disorders can be caused by a number of different factors, including working for excessive periods without rest and working in a position that is felt to be uncomfortable.

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