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VDT Survey Reveals Catastrophic Results
More than 10,000 CWA members voluntarily participated in the union’s 1998 survey of repetitive motion health problems associated with computers — and the results are not good.
“It’s the biggest survey ever on this issue, and the results are frightening,” said David LeGrande, CWA’s occupational safety and health director and an administrative assistant to Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. Much of the blame for this worsening trend can be laid on poorly designed equipment, particularly the ubiquitous mouse, LeGrande said.
“Catastrophic numbers of respondents indicated having severe illnesses or disorders including cysts on the hands or wrists, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome,” according to LeGrande.
In addition, “significant” numbers reported cumulative trauma health symptoms, such as hand and wrist pain, numbness or tingling of fingers, arm or shoulder pain, neck or back pain, and leg pain, LeGrande said.
In some occupational categories, as many as 25 percent indicated they had suffered from medically-diagnosed tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, LeGrande said.
“These figures appear even more dramatic when compared with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s claim that illness rates of 6 percent or greater constitute a catastrophic condition,” LeGrande said.
LeGrande presented the results of the study at the union’s recent OSH conference in San Francisco, Calif. He said the numbers are getting worse, based on comparisons with similar studies conducted in previous years.
For example, in 1989, 4 percent of service representatives reported suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome; by 1992, the figure had doubled, to 8 percent; by 1995, the number jumped to 17 percent, and now it is at 18 percent.
A major contributing factor to the trend is the growing use of the computer mouse coupled with improper positioning of the mouse, LeGrande said.
Unions, including CWA, also need to put a greater emphasis on collective bargaining with employers to strengthen safety and health language for computer operators, he noted. A number of contracts have no language at all on this issue, LeGrande said. In others, where CWA has negotiated ergonomic safeguards (such as SBC and US West), incidences of repetitive motion injuries are either leveling off or actually declining, he noted.
Given the severity of the findings, CWA will be placing even greater emphasis on workplace ergonomic issues, said Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who has overall responsibility for the safety and health program. He said the data will be presented to the CWA Executive Board’s new Occupational Safety and Health Committee, and vice presidents will be reviewing the findings with employers and pushing for appropriate remedies.
The Mouse and Other Factors
“In all occupations and in all companies, a significant number of CWA members reported that mouse equipment wasn’t well designed,” LeGrande said. It is important, he said, that the mouse be as close as possible to the keyboard, that it be at the same height and angle as the keyboard, and that the height of the mouse and keyboard be adjustable.
Other physical factors that affect the health of workers assigned to computers are well-designed, adjustable chairs, work surfaces with adjustable heights, and proper illumination. Lighting can affect visual problems, including eyestrain. In addition, such job design issues as monitoring and the chance for the operator to take more frequent breaks can help alleviate stress and other problems.
“Data from the 1998 investigation was particularly alarming because it identified a significant increase in the occurrence of member repetitive motion health problems,” LeGrande said.
Participating in the survey were 2,744 service representatives, 2,028 directory assistance operators, 1,503 clerical operators who work with video display terminals, 1,433 technicians and 1,010 persons who identify themselves as consultants.
Participants are employees of AT&T, Southwestern Bell, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, General Telephone, Lucent Technologies, Ameritech, Pacific Bell and U S West.
CWA’s OSH department has been working on ways to identify VDT or computer workplace safety and health issues since 1979, and national surveys were also conducted in 1989, 1992 and 1995. Each time, LeGrande said, the numbers of VDT repetitive motion illnesses have increased.
Survey responses, averaged across occupational categories, indicate 72.6 percent report hand and wrist pain; 56.6 percent indicate numbness or tingling of fingers; 71.4 percent report arm or shoulder pain; 82.4 percent report neck or back pain, and 40.2 percent have suffered leg pain. In addition, 11.8 percent reported the development of cysts on their hands or wrists; 21.6 percent said they had medically-diagnosed tendinitis, and 15.8 percent said they had medically-diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome.
The highest incidence of all symptoms fell among service representatives and directory assistance operators, which averaged 17.5 percent with carpal tunnel syndrome.
The survey, developed by LeGrande with assistance from Dr. Michael Smith of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, was distributed through the union’s regional vice presidents, staff persons and local presidents to telecommunications workers whose job assignments include work on VDTs and computer work stations.
“It’s the biggest survey ever on this issue, and the results are frightening,” said David LeGrande, CWA’s occupational safety and health director and an administrative assistant to Executive Vice President Larry Cohen. Much of the blame for this worsening trend can be laid on poorly designed equipment, particularly the ubiquitous mouse, LeGrande said.
“Catastrophic numbers of respondents indicated having severe illnesses or disorders including cysts on the hands or wrists, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome,” according to LeGrande.
In addition, “significant” numbers reported cumulative trauma health symptoms, such as hand and wrist pain, numbness or tingling of fingers, arm or shoulder pain, neck or back pain, and leg pain, LeGrande said.
In some occupational categories, as many as 25 percent indicated they had suffered from medically-diagnosed tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, LeGrande said.
“These figures appear even more dramatic when compared with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s claim that illness rates of 6 percent or greater constitute a catastrophic condition,” LeGrande said.
LeGrande presented the results of the study at the union’s recent OSH conference in San Francisco, Calif. He said the numbers are getting worse, based on comparisons with similar studies conducted in previous years.
For example, in 1989, 4 percent of service representatives reported suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome; by 1992, the figure had doubled, to 8 percent; by 1995, the number jumped to 17 percent, and now it is at 18 percent.
A major contributing factor to the trend is the growing use of the computer mouse coupled with improper positioning of the mouse, LeGrande said.
Unions, including CWA, also need to put a greater emphasis on collective bargaining with employers to strengthen safety and health language for computer operators, he noted. A number of contracts have no language at all on this issue, LeGrande said. In others, where CWA has negotiated ergonomic safeguards (such as SBC and US West), incidences of repetitive motion injuries are either leveling off or actually declining, he noted.
Given the severity of the findings, CWA will be placing even greater emphasis on workplace ergonomic issues, said Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who has overall responsibility for the safety and health program. He said the data will be presented to the CWA Executive Board’s new Occupational Safety and Health Committee, and vice presidents will be reviewing the findings with employers and pushing for appropriate remedies.
The Mouse and Other Factors
“In all occupations and in all companies, a significant number of CWA members reported that mouse equipment wasn’t well designed,” LeGrande said. It is important, he said, that the mouse be as close as possible to the keyboard, that it be at the same height and angle as the keyboard, and that the height of the mouse and keyboard be adjustable.
Other physical factors that affect the health of workers assigned to computers are well-designed, adjustable chairs, work surfaces with adjustable heights, and proper illumination. Lighting can affect visual problems, including eyestrain. In addition, such job design issues as monitoring and the chance for the operator to take more frequent breaks can help alleviate stress and other problems.
“Data from the 1998 investigation was particularly alarming because it identified a significant increase in the occurrence of member repetitive motion health problems,” LeGrande said.
Participating in the survey were 2,744 service representatives, 2,028 directory assistance operators, 1,503 clerical operators who work with video display terminals, 1,433 technicians and 1,010 persons who identify themselves as consultants.
Participants are employees of AT&T, Southwestern Bell, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, General Telephone, Lucent Technologies, Ameritech, Pacific Bell and U S West.
CWA’s OSH department has been working on ways to identify VDT or computer workplace safety and health issues since 1979, and national surveys were also conducted in 1989, 1992 and 1995. Each time, LeGrande said, the numbers of VDT repetitive motion illnesses have increased.
Survey responses, averaged across occupational categories, indicate 72.6 percent report hand and wrist pain; 56.6 percent indicate numbness or tingling of fingers; 71.4 percent report arm or shoulder pain; 82.4 percent report neck or back pain, and 40.2 percent have suffered leg pain. In addition, 11.8 percent reported the development of cysts on their hands or wrists; 21.6 percent said they had medically-diagnosed tendinitis, and 15.8 percent said they had medically-diagnosed carpal tunnel syndrome.
The highest incidence of all symptoms fell among service representatives and directory assistance operators, which averaged 17.5 percent with carpal tunnel syndrome.
The survey, developed by LeGrande with assistance from Dr. Michael Smith of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, was distributed through the union’s regional vice presidents, staff persons and local presidents to telecommunications workers whose job assignments include work on VDTs and computer work stations.