Upper limb disorder in an office environment
Summary of problem
Jane has worked as a customer service agent in a busy call centre for
six months.
Her work requires her to:
- answer incoming phone calls;
- retrieve information from the company data base;
- give the information to the customer;
- record the call for future reference.
This work requires repetitive use of a display screen, mouse and keyboard,
while talking on the phone.
Early on, Jane noticed that her arms began to get tired towards the end
of the shift. After a couple of months, she continued to experience fatigue
in her right hand and wrist after work, but always recovered by Monday morning.
Jane was using the mouse with her right hand, and typically in an awkward
position in which her wrist was bent backwards and the soft under-side of
the wrist rubbed against the edge of her desk. The awkward wrist posture,
repetitive wrist motions and direct pressure of the wrist against the desk
are risk factors for ULDs.
Her doctor told her that she had carpal tunnel syndrome, which could need
surgery if her work tasks were not improved.
Jane also experienced pain and tension in the left side of her neck. This
was largely due to the awkward and static postures she adopted while cradling
the telephone between her shoulder and ear for most of the work day. This
was made worse by the fact that the height of her desk and position of her
computer monitor was causing Jane to 'shrug' her shoulders to keep her arms
high enough.
Action
Jane informed her line manager of the problems she was having. After discussing
the issues with her manager and a health and safety representative, a risk
assessment of the workstation and the job was carried out. To reduce the
risks found, the following changes were made both to the workstation and
the way the work was organsied.
- An adjustable keyboard tray was installed at Jane's workstation. Jane
was taught how to adjust the height and tilt of this keyboard tray to
enable her to keep her wrists in a comfortable and neutral posture, while
allowing her to relax her neck and shoulder muscles.
- Jane reduced the amount of time spent using the mouse by learning some
of the more common keyboard short cuts. She also learned to use the mouse
with her left hand and switches hands regularly to provide adequate rest
time for her hands and wrists.
- Jane trialled four different kinds of mouse/ input device. She found
one that better suited the tasks she performs and allows a more comfortable
wrist posture.
- Jane adjusted her chair to increase the height and improve the support
it provides her back. This allowed her to avoid shrugging her shoulders
while working. However, it also meant that her feet were not firmly planted
on the floor. A footrest solved this problem. Further action to help with
this problem was to give Jane a headset. This meant that she didn't have
to cradle the phone between her shoulder and ear.
- Jane's work tasks were modified to allow her to spend part of the workday
performing other duties for 15 minutes out of each hour. She was also
encouraged to take frequent, short breaks from her work to perform a few
simple exercises.
-
Adjustable desk
-
Adjustable chair
Advice
Because of these changes, Jane was able to continue to work productively,
and the need for surgery was avoided.
Problems with DSE workstations can often be solved by a combination of
measures, for example:
- ensuring equipment and furniture are appropriate for the task and the
user;
- training the user in how to adjust their equipment and furniture;
- having a work pattern that allows adequate breaks from the task; and
- ensuring employees know how to report problems.
These steps can all help to prevent MSDs.
Action to prevent pain or discomfort is much more beneficial than
trying to reduce it once it has occurred.
References
- Work with Display Screen Equipment - Guidance on Regulations
(L26) HSE Books ISBN 0 7176-2582-6
- The law on VDUs: an easy guide (HSG90) HSE Books ISBN 0-7176-2602-4
- Working with VDUs - INDG36 (rev1) HSE Books
