Alabama Department of Public Safety Ergonomic Training for Data Entry Personnel

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Alabama Department of Public SafetyErgonomic
Training for Data Entry Personnel
Michael Papp MS Engineering

• Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

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Overview of Today

• I. Muscular Skeletal Disorders - What are they
  and how to recognize symptoms
• II. What Risk Factors can lead to Muscular
  Skeletal Disorders
• III. How to reduce the risk of Muscular Skeletal
  Disorders from typing

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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersWhat are MSDs?

• MSDs Affect
• Muscles
• Nerves
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Joints
• Cartilage
• Spinal disks

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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersWhat are MSDs?

• Develop gradually over time
• Not the result of an instantaneous event, such as
  slips, trips, and falls
• Symptoms range from mild to severe chronic and
  debilitation conditions

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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersSigns Symptoms

• Aching
• Burning
• Cramping
• Loss of color
• Numbness
• Pain
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Tingling
• Weakness

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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersCarpal Tunnel
Syndrome

• Carpal Tunnel is formed by the wrist bones and a
  dense ligament
• Carpal tunnel--a tunnel in the wrist through
  which the median nerve and nine tendons pass
• Continued and repetitive pressure on the median
  nerve in the carpal tunnel can cause carpal
  tunnel syndrome

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I. Muscular Skeletal Disorders Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome
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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersCarpal Tunnel
Syndrome

• How Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Develops
• Swelling or thickening of the carpal tunnel
  tendons start
• Tunnel begins to close
• Exerts pressure on the median nerve
• Causes tingling, numbness, pain

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I. Muscular Skeletal Disorders Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome
Areas Affected by the Median Nerve
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I. Muscular Skeletal Disorders Thoracic outlet
syndrome

• Compression of blood vessels and/or nerves
  between shoulder and arm
• Numbness of fingers and hand

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I. Muscular Skeletal DisordersTension Neck
Syndrome

• Fatigue or stiffness in the neck, neck pain or
  headache radiating from the neck
• May occur when neck is held in one position for a
  long period of time.

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II. MSD Risk Factors

• Awkward Postures
• Force and Exertion
• Pressure and Compression
• Cold Temperatures
• Excessive Noise
• Lighting
• Lifestyle

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II. MSD Risk FactorsAwkward Postures

• Two types
• Static Postures- non-moving
• Little movement may occur in neck, back, hips,
  and legs.
• Dynamic Postures - body in motion
• Fingers, arms, and shoulders moving repetitively

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II. MSD Risk FactorsForce Exertion

• Forceful exertions place higher loads on the
  muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints
• Factors
• Force needed or used to depress key
• Posture during typing
• Speed of movement
• Reduce exertion by reducing
• Force needed to press keys
• Hitting the keys only as hard as necessary

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II. MSD Risk FactorsPressure Compression

• External Compression
• Sharp edges concentrate forces on a small area of
  the anatomy, resulting in high, localized
  pressure.
• Internal Compression
• high-force exertions
• awkward postures
• static postures
• high velocity or acceleration of movement
• swelling of injured tissue

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II. MSD Risk FactorsPressure Compression

• Tools Work Practice Hazards
• leaning the side of the forearm or elbow on a
  hard surface.
• sharply bent wrist positions
• compression over an extended period of time

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II. MSD Risk FactorsCold Temperature Effects

• Cold environments compromise muscle efficiency
• Possible vascular and neurological damage
• Workers with cold-desensitized fingers may exert
  more force than necessary exposing muscles, soft
  tissues, and joints to increased forces

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II. MSD Risk FactorsCold Temperature Effects

• Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and some medication
  increase MSD risks from cold temperatures
• Diseases, such as diabetes, heart, vascular, and
  thyroid problems, may make a person more
  susceptible to effects of cold temperatures

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II. MSD Risk FactorsNoise Effects

• Increased muscle tension
• Quicker onset of fatigue
• Mental stress
• Reduced concentration
• Diverted attention
• Slower recovery time

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLight Effects

• Too much or not enough light creates
• Awkward postures
• Muscle fatigue
• Eye strain
• Mental fatigue

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLight Effects

• Position of light sources
• Glare on computer screen
• Eye strain
• Awkward postures
• Bright light in field of view
• Eye strain

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLife Style Factors

• Exercise Activities
• Proper exercise means
• Improved health
• Stronger body
• Improved endurance
• Reduced stress
• Better range of motion

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLife Style Factors

• No exercise means
• Easily fatigued
• Muscles weaken
• Easily injured from light activity
• No endurance
• Less resistance to illness

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLife Style Factors

• Smoking Effects
• Restricts blood vessels
• Carbon monoxide in blood
• Longer recovery from injury
• Increased injuries from vibration
• Increased injuries from cold
• Poor general health

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II. MSD Risk FactorsLife Style Factors

• Medication has the POTENTIAL to increase risk of
  MSDs if it
• Lowers or raises normal blood pressure
• Changes sense of balance
• Masks pain
• Relaxes muscles
• Affects blood circulation
• Affects eyesight

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III. Reducing MSD Risks

• If Possible
• Reduce Force Used
• Reduce Repetitive Motions
• Improve Posture and Position
• Take Short Rest Breaks

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III. Reducing MSD RisksForce

• Press the keys only as hard as necessary to
  operate keyboard
• Do not type harder than necessary

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III. Reducing MSD RisksRepetition

• Try and reduce the number of keystrokes necessary
  to perform a task.
• Utilize keyboard shortcuts and hot keys when
  available.

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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks
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III. Reducing MSD Risks

• Hands should be held above the keyboard when
  typing.
• Use the palm rest when not typing.

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III. Reducing MSD RisksRest Breaks

• Short rest breaks allow tissues to recover
• Research has shown that short rest breaks speed
  up production
• Hourly output declines though out the day, short
  rest breaks postpone production loss