Work environment and health in VDT use. An ergonomic approach

Work-related health complaints were analysed in 90 operators of visual display terminals (VDT) and in 130 control office workers in regard to their assessment of environmental factors and work organization. The most common work-environment-related complaints concerned dry or stuffy or smoky air, poor ventilation, passive smoking and high temperature (14-71%). Fatigue (78%), headache (53%) and eye disturbances (48%) were more pronounced in VDT operators than in the other workers. Among the complaints relating to work organization the most important were lack of autonomy for both groups (26-34%) and the pressure to be productive for VDT operators. Physical factors accounted for 11.5-41% of the variation in the work-related health problems; VDT use accounted for only 1.9-7.5%. The high rate of work-related complaints and health symptoms seemed to be related more to personal, environmental and organizational characteristics than to VDT use.