What’s the Damage? Avoiding potential computer related health problems

Ross Thomson

Under the present Health and Safety laws, all of us at work have a responsibility to keep an eye out for workplace hazards. But when it comes to computers, do we know what the potential health problems are? In the newly released "Guidelines for using Computers", ACC and the Department of Labour, detail four potential health problems that are associated with computer work.

Potential Health Problem

No. 1 - Physical Discomfort

A range of physical conditions may develop, or be made worse, by working with computers. By "physical conditions" we mean problems that may affect muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, joints, bony structures, the blood supply, nerves and the skin.
Symptoms may include:

• Pain
• Fatigue
• Muscle
• Discomfort
• Stiffness
• Burning sensations
• Weakness
• Numbness
• Tingling

Sometimes computer users find that these sorts of symptoms worsen during the day or week and at least initially, improve at weekends and holidays.
It is important to act as soon as symptoms present. The onset of symptoms and the movements or body postures adopted while working at computers are often related. Small changes to posture and set up made at the first indications of discomfort usually produce the best outcomes and prevent more significant problems from occurring.

Potential Health Problem

No. 2 - Visual Discomfort

Eye discomfort is a common health problem experienced by computer users. Visual discomfort symptoms can include:

• Sore eyes
• Red eyes
• Watery eyes
• Dry eyes
• Eyes feeling "heavy" or "gritty"
• Blurring of vision
• Headaches

As computer users tend to work with the screen at a fixed distance away, the unvarying demand on the eye muscles can lead to fatigue. (For more information on this see our previous article on eye strain).

Addressing vision problems arising from computer work might include:

• Lighting adjustments to reduce glare and minimize variations in light levels
• Reducing visual stress from computer work through rest breaks or alternative tasks
• Adjustments to workstation monitor height and distance
• Adjustments to fonts, font size and screen displays
• Special lenses to meet the unique demands of computer work

Potential Health Problem

No. 3 - Stress

Stress can occur in a wide range of computer use situations. It can be made worse when demands and pressures do not match the computer user's knowledge, resources or abilities. Stress may also occur when the computer user feels unable to cope or that they have little control or social support.
Symptoms of stress can include:

• Increasing distress and irritability
• Physical aches and pains
• Difficulty relaxing, concentrating or sleeping
• Difficulty thinking logically and/or making decisions
• Decreased enjoyment of work and/or feeling less commitment to work
• Feelings of tiredness, depression or anxiety

Stressed computer users are more likely to have health issues, lack motivation and be less productive. Some stressors that could be avoided for computer users are:

• Working for too many hours each week
• Working in a situation that is poorly set up for the work being done
• No performance feedback or only adverse feedback

Potential Health Problem

No. 4 - Fatigue

For computer users, fatigue may be either physical, mental or emotional in nature.

Physical Fatigue

Often with computer use where the work is more sedentary, the physical fatigue of the smaller postural and arm muscles may not be recognized until the onset of discomfort or pain.

Common approaches for preventing physical fatigue when using computers can include:

• Micropauses
• Regular breaks
• Stretches
• Varying Tasks

Mental Fatigue

Mental fatigue may also occur after long periods of computer use without the user being aware of their developing symptoms. To combat mental fatigue, preventative strategies should be targeted at managing tasks during the day to allow mental resources to be allocated and used effectively. These can include:

• Match the task duration to the intensity of attention required
• Give thought to how tasks can be put down and picked up again during scheduled and unscheduled breaks
• Make deadlines realistic with the ability to feedback on their progress
• After a period of intense complex computing make sure a longer break is taken afterwards

Emotional Fatigue

Emotional fatigue may result from the need to complete tasks where mental fatigue is involved and is coupled with the uncertainty of emotional responses. For example, working as normal when a restructuring programme is taking place and one's job is perceived as under threat can often be very difficult.

These issues are ones that need to be carefully managed through such times.

Summary

Whilst there is no doubt that our computers have sped up many office based tasks and allowed each of us to be more productive, we must always keep in mind that they are not without potential health hazards.

In our next article we will look more closely about how to manage these hazards.

The content for this article has been sourced from the newly released ACC and Department of Labour "Guidelines to using computers".

Ross Thomson is a Director of Joyworkz Ltd.

REFERENCES

ACC & Department of Labour (2010, Nov)
Guidelines for using Computers - Preventing and managing discomfort, pain and injury. (ACC 5637)