Ergonomic work areas ease strain, increase productivity

By Ira Zunin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 26, 2012

~~<p>Carpal tunnel syndrome began to capture the attention of insurers when, back in the late 1980s, treatment costs for repetitive stress injuries started to soar. CTS occurs when the median nerve at the wrist gets chronically irritated. The thumb and first two or three fingers become painful, numb and weak.</p>
<p>The computer workstation culture had been born as more and more workers performed their duties at a keyboard in front of a screen. At the time, I was working for a computer components manufacturer and charged with product development. Treatment costs for carpal tunnel syndrome were so high in the municipalities of San Francisco and Los Angeles that city councils began to enact legislation to ensure that their employees had access to ergonomic workstations. Our first wrist rest, meant to be placed in front of the keyboard, was picked up by several large office chains.</p>
~~

Carpal tunnel syndrome began to capture the attention of insurers when, back in the late 1980s, treatment costs for repetitive stress injuries started to soar. CTS occurs when the median nerve at the wrist gets chronically irritated. The thumb and first two or three fingers become painful, numb and weak.

The computer workstation culture had been born as more and more workers performed their duties at a keyboard in front of a screen. At the time, I was working for a computer components manufacturer and charged with product development. Treatment costs for carpal tunnel syndrome were so high in the municipalities of San Francisco and Los Angeles that city councils began to enact legislation to ensure that their employees had access to ergonomic workstations. Our first wrist rest, meant to be placed in front of the keyboard, was picked up by several large office chains. Login for more...