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Variation in muscle activity among office workers when using different information technologies at work and away from
Marina Ciccarelli1, Leon Straker, Svend Erik Mathiassen
1School of Occupational Therapy & Social Work, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U 1987, Perth 6845, Western Australia. m.ciccarelli@curtin.edu.au
Human Factors
|November 14, 2013
Summary
Combined information and communication technology (ICT) use by office workers shows high muscle activity and low variation, increasing musculoskeletal complaint risk. Incorporating non-ICT tasks can enhance muscle activity variation and mitigate risks.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Ergonomics
- Human-computer interaction
Background:
- Office workers frequently experience upper body musculoskeletal complaints.
- Increased muscle activity and insufficient variation are identified risk factors.
- Diverse information and communication technologies (ICT) are integral to office tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare muscle activity amplitudes and variation across different ICT usage scenarios.
- To investigate the relationship between ICT use and potential musculoskeletal risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Electromyography (EMG) measured muscle activity in upper trapezius and wrist extensors for 24 office workers over 10-12 hours.
- Muscle activity variation quantified using amplitude probability distribution function and exposure variation analysis.
- Participants performed usual tasks involving various ICT, both at work and away from work.
Main Results:
- Electronics-based New ICT tasks showed less EMG variation than paper-based Old ICT tasks.
- Combined ICT tasks (simultaneous use of paper and electronics) exhibited highest muscle activity and least variation, though rarely performed.
- Non-ICT tasks demonstrated the greatest muscle activity variation.
Conclusions:
- Combined ICT use presents the highest risk for musculoskeletal complaints due to high EMG amplitudes and low variation.
- Minimizing combined ICT use in office environments is recommended.
- Integrating highly variable Non-ICT tasks can increase overall muscle activity variation and reduce musculoskeletal risk.
