Job design issues have been implicated in the development of work-related neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. This paper describes the results from about 2000 computer users involved in a base-line of a prospective study in the UK. The data support the ecological model of musculoskeletal disorders proposed in 1996 by Steve Sauter and Naomi Swanson. A sense of physical strain from performing 4+ hours of keyboard work per day and perceiving the job to be mentally stressful mediates the exposure-effect relationship between keyboard work and recurrent hand/wrist problems. This study has implications for job design. It supports the recommendations that jobs involving computer work should limit typing to less than 4 hours a day and organisational factors should be addressed to avoid mental stress. In addition, feedback regarding the physical aspects of the job design (organisation of work and physical workstation layout) may further reduce risks.
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