Hazards of Computer in Human – A Work Related Injury

Vol. 1 No. 2

Year: 2011

Issue: May-Jul

Title: Hazards of Computer in Human – A Work Related Injury 

Author Name: 

Synopsis: 

Computers are widely used in the office workplace, which provide efficiency, competitive advantages, and the ability to carry out work that would be impossible or less effective without their use. They also provide new methods for managing work and tracking the behaviour of employees. Computerized jobs are more sedentary, require more cognitive processing and mental attention, and require less physical expenditure of energy. Yet the production demands of these jobs are often high, with constant work pressure and little decision making possibilities. Many jobs that require heavy daily computer use have been found to be stressful. Recently, potential adverse health effects of long-term computer use have been attracted attention. Renewed concerns about radiation, combined with reports of newly recognized "repetitive stress injuries" such as carpal tunnel syndrome, have led some to call for regulation in the workplace and others to rearrange their offices and computer labs. A lot of people are spending more time doing more tasks with computers and faculty, students and staff at colleges and universities have some of the most computer-intensive work styles in the world. Computer related injuries which began to be reported in India five years ago are now developing into an epidemic among computer users. It is estimated that world-wide, 25% of computer users are already suffering from computer related injuries. The United States has to shell out more than 2 billion US dollars annually for having ignored these computer related problems. It is now proved that the duration of work and computer - related problems are positively correlated. It is not uncommon these days for people having to leave computer dependent careers or even be permanently disabled and unable to perform tasks such as driving or dressing themselves. Occupationally caused RSI rank first among the health problems, in the frequency with which they affect the quality of life. Thus with rampant and excessive use of computers we are now entering into a new era of computer related health problems