HEALTH HAZARDS

ASSOCIATED WITH
LONG TERM EXPOSURE
TO ICT TOOLS

Health and Safety

 Question Time

Can you think of and describe a

possible health hazards that can result
from long term exposure to ICT tools?
Possible health hazards that can result from long term
exposure to ICT tools.

 Impaired vision.
 Headaches, Neck and Back Pain.
 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
 Repetitive Strain Injury.
 Computer Addiction.
 Radiation from Mobile Phones.
 Hearing Loss from Excessive volume.
IMPAIRED VISION
Impaired vision
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)
 Covers all eye problems caused by the use of

computers.

 Studies indicate 50% to 90% of people who work at a

computer screen have at least some symptoms of CVS.

 CVS isn’t one specific problem. It includes a whole

range of eye strain and pain.
Impaired vision
You may notice:

 Blurred vision.
 Double vision.
 Dry, red eyes.
 Eye irritation.
Precautions
Cut the glare

 Install a glare filter to your monitor.

 Adjust the lighting around your environment to

reduce the effect on your computer screen.
Precautions
Rearrange your desk
 Remember best position for your monitor is at or
slightly below eye level and about roughly an arm’s
length away.
 Utilize a document holder next to your monitor
and position any printed documents you are
working from on it.
 Doing this reduces looking up at the screen and
back down at the desk while you type.
Precautions
Give your eyes a break 
 Take constant breaks away from the computer.

 Blink often to keep your eyes moist. If they feel

dry, try some eye drops.
Precautions
Tweak your settings.
 Adjust the brightness, contrast and font size.

 Find what setting suits you best.

Precautions
Visit your eye doctor
 Regular eye exams.
 Keep your prescriptions up to date.
 The doctor will decide if you can wear your
regular glasses for computer work or if you need a
special pair.
 There are some spectacles that use special lens
material to filter out glare.
HEADACHES, NECK
AND BACK PAIN
Posture-related injuries from computer use

Some common computer-related injuries includes:

 Back and neck pain.

 Headaches.
 Shoulder and arm pain.
Posture-related injuries from computer use

These muscle and joint problems can be caused or

made worse by:

 poor workstation (desk) design.

 bad posture.
 sitting for long periods of time. 
Precautions
 Get up and go for a short walk. You need to stretch
your muscle at regular intervals.

 Make sure to position your computer screen at

your eye level to avoid neck pain.

 Use a comfortable work chair and position to give

your back the support and angle it requires.
CARPAL TUNNEL
SYNDROME
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Is numbness, tingling, weakness, and other

problems in your hand because of pressure on
the median nerve in your wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Making the same hand or wrist

C movements over and over.
A
U Especially if the wrist is bent down
(your hands lower than your wrists.
S
E
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
These methods can minimize stress on your
PRE
VE hands and wrists:
NTI
ON •Reduce your force and relax your grip -
Hit the keys softly when using the
keyboard.

•Take frequent breaks -

Gently stretch and bend hands and wrists
periodically.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
These methods can minimize stress on your
PRE
VE hands and wrists:
NTI
ON •Watch your form -
Avoid bending your wrist all the way up or
down.

•Improve your posture -

Incorrect posture can affect your wrists,
fingers and hands.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
These methods can minimize stress on your
PRE
VE hands and wrists:
NTI
ON •Change your computer mouse -
Make sure that your computer mouse is
comfortable and doesn't strain your wrist.
REPETITIVE STRAIN
INJURY (RSI)
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
 This disorder can actually affect multiple parts of
the body, including eyes, neck, shoulders, forearms,
thumbs, upper back, hands, wrists, fingers and
arms.

 Muscles are kept tense for long periods of time,

due to poor posture and repetitive movements.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

 Overuse of the computer keyboard and

C mouse has increased the occurrence of
A RSI to the hands and arms of computer
users.
U
S  Repetitive Strain Injury due to
computers generally occurs due to a
E mixture of bad ergonomics, poor
posture, stress and repetitive motion.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Pr
ev
en
tiv
 Maintain good postural habits.
e
M
 Take frequent and proper breaks in your
ea
su
work time.
re
s
 Hold your wrists straight while working
instead of resting them on the pad.
 Try to use alternate input devices such as
speech recognition, graphics tablets, tablet
PCs or trackballs instead of the
conventional keyboard and mouse.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Pr
ev
en
tiv
 Increase the font sizes when you work for
e
M
longer hours.
ea
su
 Never pound on the keys and use only a
re
s
soft and light touch.
 Do aerobic exercises regularly.
 Follow good sleeping habits.
 Drink sufficient water.
COMPUTER ADDICTION
What is Computer Addiction?
 An excessive desire and subsequent use of the
internet or the computer that results in negative
consequences socially, financially, physically,
emotionally or otherwise for the user.

 This preoccupation with computers can lead to

problems with relationships, problems with
productivity or problems with self-care and
hygiene.
 Methods to prevent Computer Addiction

 Limit Time Spent on the Computer

 Avoid Computer Use for Recreation

 Replace Computer Use (Finding Other Ways to

Spend Your Time)

 Use the Computer as a Tool

RADIATION FROM
MOBILE PHONES
What is radiation?

 Simply put radiation is energy that travels through

space in the form of waves or particles.

 The type of radiation emitted from mobile phones

is electromagnetic radiation.

 It is present in mobiles because they use radio

frequency (RF) waves to make and receive calls.
What is radiation?

 Mobile phone radiation doses are considered to be

very small as the emissions are low power (short
range).

 Even though mobile phone radiation doses are low

power (short range), You should still attempt to
reduce exposure to these waves.
How to reduce exposure to phone radiation.

 Moving your phone 20cm away from your head

reduces radiation doses by about 98%.
 Hands free headsets dramatically reduce radiation
emissions into the brain.
 Try not to chat for hours on end or, if you must, get
a hands free kit.
 There are a few devices on the market that you can
fit to your phone that reduce the emissions of
radiation or allow the body to neutralise the effects.
HEARING LOSS FROM
EXCESSIVE VOLUME
Hearing Loss from Technology
 Due to the evolution of speakers where they have
become more comfortable and powerful, this has
resulted in an increased, and often careless use.

 Today in the U.S. , teens suffer from some kind of

hearing loss. Many experts are attributing it to the
overuse of earphones.
How to prevent hearing Loss from Technology

Most devices presently can produce sounds up to 120 decibels,



an amount so high that hearing loss can occur after only about
one hour and fifteen minutes of exposure through headphones.

According to the American Osteopathic Association, you

should only use headphones through MP3 devices at levels up
to 60 percent of the maximum volume for a total of 60
minutes, as anything more can be detrimental to your hearing.
It is also worth noting that the louder the volume, the less time
you should allot for listening. This means that at maximum
volume, you should not exceed five minutes per day..
THE END