Prevention of Computer Worker Health Disturbances Caused by Physical and Physiological Risk

This investigation was carried out in the frames of the Interreg 4A project “Workability and Social Inclusion” headed by the Arcada University of Applied Life. Tallinn University of Technology and Rīga Stradiņš University were involved in the project. A questionnaire based on the Nordic, WAI (Work Ability Index), and Kiva questionnaires was compiled to study psychosocial and physical working conditions at computer-equipped workplaces for 192 workers. The results showed that the computer workers assess their health status considerably high. They are optimistic in solving the problem that the monotonous work with computers will continue and believe that their health status in the future will stay at the same level using the steadily enhancing rehabilitation means. The most injured regions of the body were the right wrist and the neck. The novelty of the study consists in the graphical co-analysis of different groups of questions presented to the workers, which allows to assess the physiological and psychological factors in complex. The rehabilitation means have to be developed and the possibility for rehabilitation must be made available to the greatest possible number of workers. The workers were divided into two groups: Group A, the length of employment with computers under 10 years (included) and Group B, having been working with computers over 10 years. These groups were found to differ in the perception of psychosocial risk factors at the workplace. Group B assessments for psychosocial working conditions were better than those of group A. In group B, employees appeared to be more afraid of losing their jobs and therefore they were not so demanding for the work atmosphere as in group A.