"Computer-Related Repetitatve Strain Injuries"
Fall 1995

Faculty Advisors:
Professor Baruch Fischhoff, Social and Decision Sciences/Engineering and Public Policy
Professor Ed Rubin, Engineering and Public Policy/Mechanical Engineering

Summary:
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) can occur when people type at a computer for long periods of time. This report reviews the literature on RSI, then summarizes a case study of the problem on the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) campus. The literature review considers, among other things, the physical processes leading to RSI, the different forms of injury, the evidence regarding incidence, and recommendations for treatment through medical interventions, equipment re-design, and behavioral change. Because the literature did not yield quantitative estimates of the prevalence of different injuries or the effectiveness of different treatments, it was supplemented by a survey of medical professionals in the Pittsburgh area.

The case study had three components. One was a survey of some 350 CMU faculty, graduate students, and staff members, from all colleges in the university. They were asked about their RSI symptoms, their work habits, and their workstation. The second component invovled on-site evaluations of 80 workstations from seven departments. The third was a net cost analysis of policy options that Carnegie Mellon might consider. These methods were developed in a general form which could also be applied to other organizations.

The CMU case study revealed that over 22% of respondents to the survey reported RSI symptoms that they attributed to typing; about 9% of respondents had these diagnoses medically confirmed. The departments that were surveyed generally had good workstations, except for chairs that often lacked adequate back support and worktables or desks that had sharp rather than rounded edges. The net cost analysis supported the recommendation of a combined policy of low-cost wrist rests, better chairs, modified work schedules (e.g., alternating typing with other tasks), and staff awareness programs as an inexpensive and effective way to limit the extent and severity of computer-related RSI problems. Details of additional study results are elaborated in the report.