An Exploration of Prevalence of Repetitive Stress Injuries among Computer Operators in Nigeria

Abstract

Computers have revolutionized education and the workplace, people are doing excellent jobs using computer to process and analyse data, type and format documents, design graphics, etc. However, there has been far too little attention paid to the dangers of Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs) among computer operators who use computers often and extensively. There are simple safety skills and understandings that can be easily incorporated into computer usage. Six hundred (600) questionnaires were personally administered to computer operators and other computer-users ranging from Students, Lecturers, Bankers, Civil Servants to Health Workers in the major cities of SouthWest of Nigeria. The result of the survey was analysed using SPSS and descriptive statistical techniques. The study shows that computer operators spend more hours working with computers than other computer-users. 83.4% of these computer operators spend more than 6 hours, working with computers at a stretch per day, very few (16.6%) observe breaks in-between. The study also reveals that RSIs are more prevalent among computer operators than other computer-users. Larger percentage of computer operators suffers some forms of RSI syndrome than other computer-users who rarely suffer more than one syndrome. Precautionary measures how these syndromes can be reduced are also highlighted in this study.