Ergonomics in the workplace

Research shows that many companies in the United States are experiencing a number of employees reporting symptoms related to cumulative trauma disorders. A self-report questionnaire was used to determine whether the amount of time spent on a computer relates to baseline symptoms (e.g., physical and neurological). A convenience sample of approximately 900 white collar workers at a petrochemical company were surveyed to assess risk factors, i.e., amount of time spent daily on a computer and symptomatic employees. 466 employees (51%) completed the survey. Univariate analyses showed that reported pain was associated with computer time, ergonomic risk, and gender. Females were more likely to report high pain scores than males. Multivariate analysis showed that both the amount of time at the computer and the ergonomic risk were shown to be significantly associated with pain reported controlling for gender (p = 0.001 for both).