Effect of break-time on the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder development and task performance of computer users
Work Related Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorder (WRMSD) developed due to excessive, repetitive and forceful motions of certain parts of the body. Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) problems begins initially with a minor discomfort and if no action was taken to overcome this problem it can develop...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/67921/1/FK%202018%2053%20%20IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | Work Related Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorder (WRMSD) developed due
to excessive, repetitive and forceful motions of certain parts of the body.
Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) problems begins initially with a minor
discomfort and if no action was taken to overcome this problem it can develop
to major injuries and deformation. According to a report from NIOSH Malaysia,
there has been an increase in the occurrence of MSDs, especially in work that
require continuous computer usage. Office workers who use computer
intensively for instance more than 3 hours continuously without sufficient rest
break tends to develop MSD problems. Previous studies shown than rest break
can allow workers to relax muscles and reduces the possibility of developing
physical and mental discomfort. However studies on an effective break time that
can improve performance and reduce muscle work load on the upper extremity
muscles among office workers in Malaysia are still lacking. A preliminary study
was conducted to determine relationship between break time and other risk
factors to the development of MSD. The effect of work rest schedule on the
muscular load levels, performance and discomfort rate on the upper extremity
muscles among computer users was studied. Hundred twenty questionnaires
survey which was designed based on the Nordic Questionnaire and Body
Discomfort Chart (BDC) were distributed to office workers in a company. The
questionnaires were analyzed to determine various risk factors such as
individual, physical and job characteristics that contribute to the development of
MSD. Bivariate analysis using SPSS software showed that age have a
significant positive correlation with discomfort that was 0.308 at (p=0.01);
frequency of work rest showed higher negative correlation whilst working hour
showed positive correlation to the presence of MSD discomfort. These findings
suggests that more work rest with less persistent working hour can reduce the
development of MSD problems. The effect of break time on performance was conducted using three different work rest schedules. Three thirty minutes of
typing tasks was given to 15 respondents where one with no break, second with
1 min break and third with 30 seconds’ break. The muscle load, performance
and discomfort level were measured. The result showed that 30 seconds microbreak
at every 10 minutes interval reduces muscle load where EMG recorded
lowest mean average- EMG (AEMG) which was 0.0350 ± 0.012 (mV) for flexor
carpi ulnaris and radialis muscles and typing performance improved by 13.5%
compared to 1 minute break and 20.14% compared to schedule with no breaks.
At the end of the experiment, 71% of respondents recorded minimal discomfort
for 30 seconds micro-break. As a conclusion 30 seconds micro-break is effective
for office workers to practice during their continuous typing activity as it can
reduce muscle load and improve their performance by reducing muscle
discomfort on the upper extremity muscle. The limitation of this study was that
computer users from different working background was not covered. In future
work, the scope of study can be focused on the people who spend greater
amount of time in computer gaming. |
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