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This study examined the effects of supplementary rest breaks on musculoskeletal discomfort, eyestrain, mood, and performance in data-entry workers. Two rest break schedules were compared in a within-subjects design. Workers alternated between a 'conventional' and a 'supplementary' schedule in 4-week intervals. The conventional schedule contained a 15-min break during the first half of the work shift and a 15-min break during the second half of the shift. The supplementary schedule contained the same two 15-min breaks, and a 5-min break during each hour which otherwise did not contain a break, for a total of 20 extra minutes of break time. Results are based on data from 42 workers. They indicated that discomfort in several areas of the body, and eyestrain, were significantly lower under the supplementary than under the conventional schedule. While symptoms increased from pre- to post-work periods under both schedules, the magnitude of the increases was significantly less under the supplementary schedule. In addition, increases in discomfort of the right forearm, wrist and hand over the course of the work week under the conventional schedule were eliminated under the supplementary schedule. These beneficial effects were obtained without reductions in data-entry performance.

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The relationship of key force and keystroke rate with right-arm musculoskeletal discomfort and fatigue was explored in a video-display-terminal (VDT) data-entry task. Forty-three data transcribers entered bogus data from tax forms at a VDT for one workday with their right hand. Peak key force and keystroke rate were monitored on a continuous basis. Self-ratings of right-arm discomfort and fatigue were assessed at periodic intervals. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that both lower key forces and lower keystroke rates were associated with higher ratings of right-elbow discomfort. In addition, lower key forces were associated with higher ratings of right-hand discomfort and lower keystroke rates were associated with higher ratings of right-shoulder discomfort and fatigue. The amount of variance accounted for by these models ranged from 7 to 24%. These results appear to be contrary to conventional biomechanical models that postulate a positive association between key force, keystroke rate and musculoskeletal discomfort in VDT work. Further laboratory and field research under controlled conditions is needed to clarify the direction and extent of the cause-and-effect relationship between biomechanical factors and musculoskeletal discomfort in VDT data-entry work.

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The present study was designed to assess the utility of end-tidal PCO2 (peak concentration of carbon dioxide in a single breath of exhaled air) as an index of psychophysiological activity during performance of a computer-based task and during relaxation. Eleven data-entry operators were monitored continuously for three consecutive, 6 hour work days under the following conditions: (a) during a self-relaxation baseline period; (b) during an abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation period; and (c) during a period of computer-based data-entry work. End-tidal PCO2, respiration frequency, and cardiac inter-beat interval (a measure of heart rate and its variability) were monitored continuously during the three conditions of the study. Self-ratings of relaxation and tension were also monitored at periodic intervals. Consistent with a decrease in psychophysiological arousal, end-tidal PCO2 and self-ratings of relaxation were significantly higher during progressive muscle relaxation than during baseline relaxation. Consistent with an increase in psychophysiological arousal, end-tidal PCO2, cardiac inter-beat interval, and relaxation ratings during data-entry work were significantly lower than during either baseline relaxation or progressive muscle relaxation, while respiration frequency and tension ratings were higher. The findings indicate that end-tidal PCO2 discriminates among different psychophysiological states, and that end-tidal PCO2 may be useful in indexing the stress-health effects of human-computer interactions.

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There is a growing trend toward electronic performance monitoring (EPM) to track the performance of workers engaged in computer-based tasks. Despite the possible productivity advantages of this approach to work management, the use of EPM may produce stress through work overload, negative computer feedback, loss of incentive pay and threat of job loss. These stress effects are most likely to occur among workers who have difficulty meeting work standards (eg, forms processed per hour) enforced through EPM. A stress allowance is proposed as a new category of work allowance for adjusting EPM work standards so as to minimize imbalances between task demands and the worker's resources to adapt.

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Self-report data on musculoskeletal discomfort were collected from several hundred VDT users in two agencies of a state government. Aspects of worker posture and workstation design were objectively assessed for 40 of the VDT users. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between these ergonomic variables and musculoskeletal discomfort. Effects of ergonomic factors on musculoskeletal discomfort were clearly evident in the analyses. Regression models explained up to 38% of the variance in discomfort at different body sites. Of special interest was that leg discomfort increased with low, soft seat pans, suggesting that postural constraint is more important than thigh compression as a risk factor for leg discomfort in VDT work. In addition, arm discomfort increased with increases in keyboard height above elbow level, supporting arguments for low placement of the keyboard. Finally, high levels of neck and shoulder girdle discomfort observed in the study population suggest the need for further attention to the control of cervicobrachial pain syndromes in VDT work.

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Psychophysiological effects of computer system response time (slow vs. rapid) and method of pay (incentive vs. nonincentive) were assessed in a computer-based data entry task among forty-five professional typists. Cardiovascular responses (i.e., heart rate and blood pressure) were monitored on a regular basis over four consecutive workdays. Heart rate and blood pressure did not vary significantly with slow or rapid response times. Incentive pay, however, significantly increased blood pressure and decreased heart rate variability across the workdays compared to nonincentive pay. Irrespective of response time or method of pay, performance of the data entry task for sustained periods of time was associated with reduced heart rate and increased heart rate variability. This temporal effect was indicative of reduced effort or increased mental fatigue. The results of this study suggest that incentive pay programmes in data entry work may produce stress-related physiological reactivity among healthy workers.

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