New light on office pains

New research funded by the Health and Safety Executive has confirmed that upper limb disorders are a common occurrence amongst office staff. A series of causative factors has also been identified.

The Institute of Occupational Medicine questioned more than 3000 keyboard users and discovered that over half had experienced some symptoms. Detailed ergonomic studies were then carried out to determine the causes.

The results highlighted a series of key factors, including:

• frequency and length of keyboard use
• lack of, or poor, adjustability of equipment, and
• work stresses, eg uncomfortable environment, no breaks, frustrating software.

Some factors also pre-dispose staff to problems, including age, gender (women are more likely to suffer than men) and participating in hobbies or sports that involve repetitive hand and arm movement.

Elliott Chase