Variance in direct exposure measures of typing force and wrist kinematics across hours and days among office computer workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Asundi K ; Dennerlein, Jack T. ; Johnson PW
• Description:
  To determine the number of direct measurements needed to obtain a representative estimate of typing force and wrist kinematics, continuous measures of keyboard reaction force and wrist joint angle were collected at the workstation of 22 office workers while they completed their own work over three days, six hours per day. Typing force and wrist kinematics during keyboard, mouse and idle activities were calculated for each hour of measurement along with variance in measurements between subjects and between day and hour within subjects. Variance in measurements between subjects was significantly greater than variance in measurements between days and hours within subjects. Therefore, we concluded a single, one-hour period of continuous measures is sufficient to identify differences in typing force and wrist kinematics between subjects. Within subjects, day and hour of measurement had a significant effect on some measures and thus should be accounted for when comparing measures within a subject. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The dose response relationship between exposure to computer related biomechanical risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders is poorly understood due to the difficulty and cost of direct measures. This study demonstrates a single hour of direct continuous measures is sufficient to identify differences in wrist kinematics and typing force between individuals. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Biomechanical Phenomena Computers Men Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Age-groups Author Keywords: Exposure Assessment Biomechanics Electrogoniometers Force Plate Humans Motion-perception Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Physiological-effects Physiological-factors Physiological-function Physiology Risk-factors Upper Extremities Workers

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• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041913
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2012 Aug; 55(8):874-884
• Email:
  jax@hsph.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20090831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5899f64ee84943b281908aaac887846a41db62f9b6bdf875a89ae1a636106912dc641bddda7dd6ce9fbe0442b68bfa9bf004dff541316ee1e9a32d4c61e15950
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194330/cdc_194330_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 143.76 KB ]