Prevalence of Cumulative Trauma Disorders among Computer Work Station Users in Kakamega County, Kenya

Authors

  • Luke Boro Waiganjo Kenyatta University
  • Issah Kweyu Wabuyabo
  • Bukhala Peter
  • Elizabeth Mse
  • Roselyne Odiango
  • Ednah Sabiri
  • Jasper Wekesa

Keywords:

OSHA, Occupation Safety and Health Association, CTDs, Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Abstract

The incidence rate of cumulative trauma disorders particularly injuries of the wrists, arms, shoulders and lower back, along with the financial and non-financial costs resulting from these disorders is receiving an increasing amount of attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cumulative trauma injuries among computer user employees in Kakamega County.194 respondents were identified and One-way ANOVA was used to determine the interrelationship between the variables and presented in ANOVA tables. 38.5% secretaries and 34.5% officers suffered from low back strain attributed to lack of adherence to OSHA guidelines in office set up. 43% of them worked with their forearms, wrists and hands elevated, 65% did not support their lumber area on the backrests, 27% had their screens above their sitting eye level and the monitors were not placed right in front of them. Due to non-adherence to OSHA computer workstation guidelines, the employees suffered from various Cumulative Trauma Disorders. 20% of the employees suffered from wrist ganglion, 18% radial tunnel syndrome, 18% lateral epicondylitis, 23% rotator cuff tendinitis, 26% thoracic outlet syndrome, 22% neck tension syndrome, 36% low back strain, 29% nerve entrapments and 32% eye strain.

 

References

• Andersen H.J, Herning H., Landevej, Herning (2006). Intervention Trials on Upper Body Pain among Computer Operators. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine; 63:297-298. Retrieved on October 1st 2007 from http://www.journal.bmj.com

• Ann E. Barr, Mary F. Barbe, and Brian D. Clark (2004). Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Hand and Wrist: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Sensorimotor Changes. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: National Institute of Health Public Access. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2004 October; 34(10): 610–627.

• Bergqvist, U., Wolgast, E., Nilsson, B. and Voss, M. (1995) Musculoskeletal disorders among visual display terminal workers: individual, ergonomic, and work organizational factors. Ergonomics 38, 763-776.

• Catherine Cook, Robin Burgess-Limerick and Sungwon Chang (2000). The prevalence of neck and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms in computer mouse users. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 26 347-356

• Connie Y.Y. Sung, Kenneth K.F. Ho, Ray M.W. Lam, Ada H.Y. Lee, and Chetwyn C.H. Chan (2003;) Physical and Psychosocial Factors in Display Screen Equipment Assessment. Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy 13

• Graves, P.R. (1999). Ergonomics Products and Equipment Improve Health, Safety and Performance. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.osha~slc.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/

• Kerin, K. and Kerin, A. ((2004). Ergonomics Risks, Myths, and Solutions for Extended Hours Operations. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.circadian.com

• Khan, M. Y. and Siddiqui, M. A. (2005). Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Computer Users. Professional Medical Publications. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences; 21,2, 159-63 Retrieved October 7, from http://www.Pjms.com.pk/issues/aprjun05/abstracts/article

• Kohler, G. (1994). Computer Safety Article. Retrieved on January 11 2007, from; http://www.tifaq.org/archive/office-safety.txt

• Liao MH, Drury CG (2000) Posture, discomfort and performance in a VDU task. Ergonomics 43: 345-59. (Fogleman and Lewis 2002).

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1997). Musculoskeletal Disorders and Workplace Factors: A Critical Review of Epidemiologic Evidence for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck, Upper Extremity, and Low Back. 97-141: form http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/97-141-ergotext6.html

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2007). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. NINDS. Publication, NIH Publication No. 03-4898. from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tinnel.htm

• Nur Turhan, Celil Akat Müfit Akyüz Aytül Çakc (2008) Ergonomic Risk Factors for Cumulative Trauma Disorders in VDU Operators. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) Vol. 14, No. 4, 417–422.

• Ritva Ketola (2004). Physical Workload as A Risk Factor for Symptoms in the Neck and Upper Limbs: Exposure Assessment and Ergonomic Intervention. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine Vol.3 Supplementum 5 2004. http://www.jssm.org

• Shahab A. Alazawi (2012). Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Visual Display Terminal Users. Tikrit Medical Journal; 18 (1):127-132.

• Shahul Hameed (2013). Prevalence of Work Related Low Back Pain among the Information Technology Professionals in India – A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research Volume 2, Issue 7.

• Shari McMahan and Rafer Lutz (2003). Computer Use, Workstation Design Training and Cumulative Trauma Disorders in College Students. Californian Journal of Health Promotion. Volume 1, Issue 4, 38-46

• Srilatha, Maiya Arun G, Vinod Bhat, Nalini Sathiakumar (2011) Prevalence of Work-Related Wrist and Hand Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) among Computer Users, Karnataka State, India; Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2011 Vol-5(3): 605-607

• Stevven L. Jonson, M. Michelle Dime, Sherry A. Brown, Jeffrey B. Hardcastle, (1996)Assessment of Video Display workstation set up on risk factors associated with the development of low back and neck discomfort. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. Volume 35, Issue 7, July 2005, pg 593-604

• Strazdins and Bammer (2004) Women, work and musculoskeletal health. Soc Sci Med. 58(6):997-1005.

• Viikari-Juntura, E., Martikainen, R., Luukkonen, R., Mutanen, P., Takala, E-P. and Riihimäki, H. (2001) Longitudinal study on work related and individual risk factors affecting radiating neck pain. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 58, 345-352.

• Waiganjo Luka Boro, Andanje Mwisukha, Vincent Onywera (2012).Work-related Musculoskeletal Injuries and Conditions suffered by computer-user employees in the banking institutions in Nairobi, Kenya. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance (AJPHERD) Vol. 18, No. 2 (June) 2012, pp. 344-352

Downloads

Published

2016-10-18

How to Cite

Waiganjo, L. B., Wabuyabo, I. K., Peter, B., Mse, E., Odiango, R., Sabiri, E., & Wekesa, J. (2016). Prevalence of Cumulative Trauma Disorders among Computer Work Station Users in Kakamega County, Kenya. Asian Journal of Applied Sciences, 4(5). Retrieved from https://ajouronline.com/index.php/AJAS/article/view/3741

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 5 (2016): October 2016

Section

Articles

License

  • Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
  • It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
  • The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
  • The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
  • The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.