Question

Some machines,equipment pieces,tools or devices that are used commonly by humans contribute significant risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). I want you to identify one such tool or device that you are personally familiar with that has significant MSD risk factors for someone who might use that tool or device on a frequent and long term basis.once you've identified such a tool or device answer each of the following two questions below

1) What are the main risk factors for MSDs associated with everyday use of the tool or device system you have studied? what level of risk do you think each risk factor represents to the user? Did anything suprise you about what you discovered?

2) Can you think of some interesting ways to reduce or control one or more significant risk factors you've identified for this device or tool system?

Answer 1

Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) includes a group of conditions (related to injury or illness involving muscles, nerves, spinal discs, tendons, ligaments, joints, blood vessels, cartilage)that affect the movement (locomotor apparatus) and is one of the leading causes of disability.

Repetitive and awkward movements and or poor posture can cause MSDs. Musculoskeletal disorder is a chronic condition and can cause significant pain to the injured person.

Excessive and prolonged usage of hand held devices like mobile phone can cause musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, arms, hands and shoulder. Persons suffering from musculoskeletal disorder arising out of excessive usage of mobile phone generally reports pain in thumb, burning sensation, tingling, numbness, stifness, twitches etc.

Risk factors for MSDs are (related to prolonged and excessive usage of mobile phone) are:

1. Poor posture of neck, hand and body - poor seated posture, continous neck bending, predominant use of thumb etc are associated with a higher risk or prevalence of MSDs.
2. Repetitive tasks- Performing repetitive tasks with mobile phone (like typing) can increase the likelihood of injury.Continous keystroking without intermittant breaks or relaxation period can cause muscle fatigue and can contribute to development of MSDs.
3. Amount of Force and stress applied- Appling excessive force and stress can increase the likelihood of developing MSDs by increasing muscle tension which puts more pressure on the tendons.

Risk Mitigation:

• Take intermittent microbreaks while using mobile
• Donot apply excessive force during keystroke
• Maintain good posture and ergonomics while handling mobile phone.
• Use voice command feature instead of typing to reduce continous strain on hand muscles.