FYI: A Health and Safety Newsletter for Office Workers, September 1991

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for Office Workers

FYI is published by the Tompkins/Corland Labor Coalition

Newsletter

09 W. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850

RSI EPIDEMIC AT SUNY-CORTLAND

Work is taking its toll on clerical and
secretarial staff at SUNY-Cortland, according to a
recent survey conducted by CSEA Local 605.

THAT ceiving

CSEA 605 has put a priority on getting
management toremedy the conditions which cause
RSI and to assist those workers already injured.

a. SH ie . The situation the work-
) ers face at SUNY-
TUMBEPM Or office @ ARE YOUR 7 tee
WRISTS SORE? Cortland is not unique.
workers throughout the ‘ RSIs are now the lead-

campus, the Union be-
gan circulating a brief
questionnaire focusing
on hand/wrist trauma
symptoms. More than
90 percent of the cleri-
cal/secretarial staff re-
sponded.

The results are alarming. Almost two-
thirds of the total respondents are experiencing
at least one of the symptoms which warn of
developing repetitive strain injury (RSI). These
symptoms include aching fingers, hands and/or
wrists; a tingling or numb sensation at night after
work; unusual clumsiness such as dropping things
or having difficulty doing fine motor tasks like
buttoning a shirt.

More than one quarter of the respondents
have sought medical assistance. Diagnoses in-
clude conditions such as pinched nerves, ganglion
cysts, thoracic outlet syndrome, and carpal tunnel
syndrome. Some have undergone surgery.

@ ARE YOUR
FINGERS NUMB?

@ DO YOUR

HANDS ACHE?. .

ing cause of reported
occupational illness in
the U.S., with cases
more than doubling in
the past two years.
There are two main
causes: poor worksta-
tion design and stress.

The stress is related to increasing workload and
growing specialization of job tasks.

RSlis preventable. For more information
on this illness and how to prevent it, see two
previous issues of FYI, September 1990 and June
1991. Or call the Labor Coalition, 277-5670.