What are ergonomic hazards?

Because of increasing office automation of white-collar work at all levels, safety and health concerns in this area have focused on illness and injuries originating from limited movement or lack of movement by workers.

Lack of movement and work done primarily through a keyboard and video display terminal (VDT) have led to a collection of workplace illnesses and injuries known as ergonomic hazards. These issues cut across all industry lines and bring concerns and costs to employers and employees who had not previously considered their workplaces hazardous.

With greater frequency, successful claims for medical and disability benefits have linked repetitive motion injuries like tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome to VDT use.

Although there is little proof that there is a danger to all office workers, the following actions are occurring:

• Many group medical insurance and workers' compensation claims are being paid for VDT-related illness or injury.

• OSHA and NIOSH are continuing to release guidance and fund research to determine if more must be done to protect and warn employees. OSHA issued a controversial Ergonomics Program Standard in 2000, only to have it swiftly rescinded by Congress before its effective date. The controversial standard would have required employers to provide information to employees about common musculoskeletal disorders and, after a MSD incident, medical care, necessary work restrictions (including time off work to recover), work restriction protection, and evaluation and follow-up of the MSD incident. The Department of Labor is still committed to reducing ergonomic hazards at work.

• Unions are taking positions in the forefront by calling for more employee protections.

• Much research and literature is available with sometimes conflicting results.

• Employees are becoming aware of the possibility of illness and injury and are expressing increasing concern in the workplace.