Back to work in 2026 – RBR legflow™ launch their #WorkSafe campaign to highlight the threat of Deep Vein Thrombosis in the workplace.

Wells Fargo Employee: A Wells Fargo employee in Arizona, was found dead at her desk four days after she had last entered the building. 

HMRC Employee: an administrative assistant for HM Revenue and Customs, received substantial compensation after developing a blood clot behind her knee

Council Worker: a 59-year-old solicitor for Warrington Borough Council, died from a blood clot on the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis)

Bank of America Employee: a 35-year-old Bank of America investment banker died of a blood clot (acute coronary artery thrombus)

A nursery and reception teacher in London: died from a heart attack caused by an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT). An inquest found multiple missed opportunities by medical professionals to diagnose the clot before it became fatal

TicTok Influencer: Dead at Age 26 from Blood Clots After Experiencing Migraines

Employers have a duty of care to protect, and to care for their staffs’ welfare at all times, whether in an office, working from home, or a hybrid arrangement. This legal requirement doesn’t stop when the employee is out of sight of the HR team.

As millions of people return to their offices after the Christmas and New Year break, it’s imperative that we’re all fully aware of the real-life risk we face whilst at the desk.

The Link Between Office Work and Blood Clots: Health experts and studies have long warned that prolonged immobility associated with desk jobs can significantly increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the legs. If the clot travels to the lungs, it can cause a fatal pulmonary embolism (PE).

Occupational Risks and “E-Thrombosis”: The term “eThrombosis” was first brought to the publics’ attention in 2003, in the case study: “eThrombosis: the 21st Century variant of venous thromboembolism associated with immobility”, *1

Thromboembolism has been recognised for more than 60 years, with most believing that blood clots were the result of long-distance air travel. However, the case of a 32-year-old male, in whom immobility associated with sitting for long periods at a computer represented the major provoking risk factor for his life-threatening venous thromboembolism.

In view of the widespread use of computers in relation to work, recreation and personal communication, the potential burden of eThrombosis may be considerable.

Further research by Professor R Beasley clearly shows that after a mere 90 minutes of being sedentary, venous blood flow to the lower limbs has decreased by over 50%, this considerable decrease in blood flow is the contributing factor in desk workers developing a potentially deadly blood clot. Research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2010) highlights the risk. *2

Sedentary Nature: Long hours sitting at a desk can lead to clots forming in the large veins of the legs. These can travel to the lungs, causing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE).

Other contributing factors in the rise of eThrombosis can be down to the workplace environment. Factors such as strict productivity targets that discourage breaks can increase the risk of developing clots, or in today’s digital world, on-line Zoom meetings, which can take up the whole day at times.

Many workers sit in confined desk spaces for long periods of time with absolutely no idea that by just sitting still, they are placing themselves at serious risk. According to studies, almost two thirds (63%) of office workers spend six hours or more sitting at their desk. Nearly half (48%) admitted to not leaving the office all day. Sales, media and marketing (60%) and finance (54%) emerged as the sectors with the most amount of people desk bound.   

Prevention Recommendations: The #WorkSafe campaign from RBR legflow™ makes use of their seekHELP acronym.

H for heat

E for excessive redness

L for localised swelling

P for pain

How can HR teams mitigate the risk for their desk-bound workers: Share the awareness of the simple signs of a potential blood-clot (seekHELP), be able, and allowed to take regular breaks, keep hydrated, maintain, and increase (whilst sedentary) the blood-flow to the lower limbs.