Computers and Health :: Medicine Biology Technology Essays

Computers and Health Computers can be responsible for a number of diseases, such as: eye strains, wrist injuries, back problems, stomach ulcers or mental collapse. Not so long ago was it thought that computers, which could perform calculations and process data with high speed and complete accuracy, would free up humans to only work 3-4 hours a day. But now, humans are working harder than ever. Stress Stress is often a major sector of work related illness. Simply the though of computers can cause stress in some people. It is also stressful: * To be asked to complete a task, which is new to you and you are not sure that you will be able to cope with it; * To know you have more work to do, than you can finish, in the available time; * To have too little work to do and to be bored all day. The introduction of computers into the workplace can have harmful effects on the well beings of information workers at many different levels in an organisation. For example: * Some companies monitor their employees output. This can often increase stress levels. Symptoms include headaches, sleeplessness and stomach ulcers.) * Many peoples fare afraid of computers and fear that the will not learn new skills, or that their position of seniority will be undermined by computer 'whizz-kids'. * It can be almost impossible for people to get away from office work due to mobile, pagers laptop computers and modems. * 'Information overload' means that managers are often bombarded with more information than they can actually take-in. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) These are the disorders affecting the neck, shoulders and upper limbs. It can result in numbness or tingling in the arms and hands, aching and stiffness in the arm, neck and shoulders, and an inability to lift objects. Some sufferers cannot even pour a cup of tea with out experiencing extreme pain. Eyestrain Computer users are prone to eyestrain due to long hours in front of a screen. There is no evidence that a computer can cause permanent damage to eyes, but glare, improper lighting, improper corrected vision and poor work practices all contribute to temporary eyestrain. Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Radiation In normal day life we are exposed to ELF from sources such as, electricity from the mains, sunshine, fire, earths own magnetic field and computers. Studies have been carried out to investigate if there is a distinct link between miscarriages and ELF emitted by computers. Studies have vaguely showed that long hours spent at a VDU in the first trimester of pregnancy, has played a part in the leading to miscarriages. Computers, Health and the Law 'The Health and Safety Regulations of 1992' reads as follows: