Occupational health aspects of work with video display terminals.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Sauter, Steven L. ; Schnorr, Teresa M.
• Description:
  Research findings and current views on health risks of video display terminal (VDT) use and attendant control measures were reviewed and summarized. Four health end points were addressed: visual system dysfunction, musculoskeletal disorders, stress, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Reviews of field studies of VDT operators suggested that prevalence rates of 50% or more for at least occasional experience of certain eyestrain symptoms are typical. Ocular discomfort symptoms, as opposed to visual imperception, are the most common problems. Cataract development in VDT work has been a prime concern, but the possibility has been discounted. Miscorrected or uncorrected refractive problems may be one of the leading causes of eyestrain among VDT users. Musculoskeletal aches and pains are also common in these workers. A recent study indicated prevalence rates of 20 to 25% for almost daily discomfort in the upper torso. Neck pain, followed by shoulder pain, was the most prevalent musculoskeletal symptom in a study of over 1,000 VDT users. Long term health risk evaluations indicated that repeated stress to the musculoskeletal system is possible. The stationary and sedentary aspects of VDT work are thought to be primary risk factors for musculoskeletal discomfort. Regarding pregnancy, the weight of the evidence thus far obtained indicated that VDTs in themselves do not increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Computers Epidemiology Eye Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System
• Keywords:
  Reproductive-system-disorders; Computer-equipment; Office-equipment; Video-display-terminals; Musculoskeletal-system-disorders; Eye-disorders; Reproductive-hazards; Risk-analysis; Epidemiology
• ISBN:
  9780316755672
• Publisher:
  Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Book
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00225102
• Citation:
  Environmental and occupational medicine, second edition. Rom WN, ed. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 1992 Jan; :1109-1119
• Editor(s):
  Rom WN
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental and occupational medicine, second edition
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/243358/cdc_243358_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]