Are software characteristics related to musculoskeletal disorders in computer workers?
conference paper
Intensive and long-lasting computer work increases the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders. Usually the solution for preventing these complaints is found in hardware ergonomics. Until now, little attention has been paid to the role of software design and ergonomic software quality. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted to investigate whether unfavourable software characteristics contribute to the development of symptoms. The outcome measure was defined as work-related, long-lasting neck or upper limb symptoms that had led to treatment or sickness absence. To determine the strength of the associations between eleven software characteristics and symptoms, adjusted Odds Ratio’s (OR) were calculated. To investigate towards which factors prevention should be directed, Population Attributable Risks (PAR) were calculated. The presence of unfavourable software characteristics was associated with musculoskeletal symptoms for nine out of eleven software characteristics studied. The strongest associations were found for: high precision demands for mouse clicking, insufficient possibilities for the use of shortcut keys and having difficulty reading information on the screen due to a small font size. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm these findings. More attention should be paid to software ergonomics in (research on) the prevention of musculoskeletal symptoms.
Topics
TNO Identifier
278258
Publisher
Elsevier
Source title
International Ergonomics Association (IEA) 2006, 16th World Congress on Ergonomics "Meeting diversity in ergonomics", Maastricht, 10-14 July
Editor(s)
Pikaar, R.N.
Koningsveld, E.A.P.
Settels, P.J.M.
Koningsveld, E.A.P.
Settels, P.J.M.
Place of publication
Oxford
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