Activity 1-4: Health Concerns

       

 Computers are part of our everyday lives.  Most people, no matter what their profession, deal with a computer or some sort of technological device on a daily basis.  Though most careers come with their fair share of risks, we sometimes forget the risks that stem from our use of computers.  I interviewed three people who work with computers every day, and asked them to list their top four health concerns that come from working with computers.  The first person I interviewed was Carley.  Carley works for a call center doing troubleshooting for credit card processing and uses computer every day.  Next, I interviewed Rennes.  He works as an I.T. technician for a local healthcare facility.  Finally, I interviewed John who is also an I.T. technician for a small technical support company.  I recorded their top concerns and compiled the information into a table.

Carley	Rennes	John
Eye Strain	Eye Strain	Eye Strain
Lower Back Pain	Carpel Tunnel	Headaches
Carpel Tunnel	Weight Gain	Carpel Tunnel
Weight Gain	Headaches	Lower Back Pain

  

During the interview process I began to notice a pattern of very similar concerns from each individual.  Eye strain and Carpel Tunnel were the two concerns that all of the interviewees expressed concern about.  However, I found that lower back pain, from sitting in an office chair or crawling under a desk; headaches, from staring at the screen or at small computer components; and weight gain, from sitting at a desk all day we shared concerns by the interviewees as well.  When I began the interview process I thought I would see a few similarities but to see that at least two of the three expressed the same concerns was stunning.

“No matter what I do, I leave with a headache every day,” said Rennes.  John told me, “The worst part of the job is leaving work with a sore back.  I go home to my kids and feel like I’m 90 years old.  I can’t even get on the floor and play with them.”  Carley said, “The last thing I want to do when I get home is pick up my laptop or hop on the computer.  My wrists are sore from the amount of typing I do.  When we work at such a fast pace to keep up with incoming calls we are forced to type fast and the ‘proper technique’ for typing goes right out the window.”

As someone who works with a computer all day every day, I never really stopped to think about the hazards of the job.  Over the course of the interviews I began to say to myself, “I experience that too.”  It’s surprising to think about all the risks that come from sitting in front of a computer, and even more surprising to see how the majority of the complaints are all similar.  The other similarity that we all seemed to share was our agreement on the fact that ergonomic devices are often referred to as the solution for many of the ailments tied to working with computer, when in reality they tend to offer little to no relief.  We all continue to work in these positions as we try and do our best to deal with the discomfort and pains associated with the use of a computer because as Rennes put it, “…it’s a small price to pay for having a great job that isn’t going away anytime soon.”