The carpal tunnel is a passageway in the wrist formed by eight wrist bones which make up the floor and sides of the tunnel, and the transverse carpal ligament which is a strong ligament which stretches across the roof of the tunnel.  Inside the tunnel there are tendons and muscles which help us to flex our fingers and thumb.  Also running through the tunnel is a nerve cord which transmits messages to our brain about touch and feel.

As a member of the armed forces you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim against the Ministry of Defence (MOD) should you have suffered an injury as a result of their negligence. The MOD has a responsibility to protect their employees, contractors and visitors. 

A FORMER Rolls-Royce worker has won a payout from the company after his hands were left permanently damaged by the vibrating tools he used during his employment.

Vibration White Finger (VWF) is a disease that affects the fingers, causing them to go white and numb.

The disease is caused by continuous use and therefore over-exposure to vibration or vibrating hand machinery. VWF is almost always classed as an industrial disease, as this amount of vibration is rarely found elsewhere.

Heat stress can have serious effects on employees in certain jobs, and can lead to accidents and in some extreme cases death.  Heat stress occurs when a person is unable to control their temperature regulation system.  This can happen particularly when working in hot conditions like a manufacturing plant, bakery or laundry.  The nature of this kind of work means that it is not possible to remove the heat source and naturally cool down.  Heat stress can also occur where employees are not able to remove protective clothing. The hot summer months may increase the risks in some sectors but in many jobs heat stress is an all year round issue.

The recent rash of large scale redundancies could lead to an increase in personal injury claims, a lawyer has warned.

Lead Poisoning Claims

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 became the most important piece of legislation in preventing industrial deafness. It came into effect for all areas apart from the music and entertainment industry, which will need to conform to the rules by April 2008.

An estimated 170,000 people suffer with forms of Occupational Respiratory disease and Industrial Asthma. The symptoms include breathing or lung problems which they believe to be work related, although the true figure is likely to be significantly higher. The occupations with the highest incidents of Occupational Asthma, as reported to Chest Physicians, were Bakers, Flour Confectioners, Spray Painters, and those in the welding trades.

Tinnitus Claims

Occupational deafness is the deterioration of a person's hearing abilities due to exposure to excessive noise in the workplace. Tinnitus is a condition involving ringing, buzzing, whistling or humming in the ears or the head.