REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURIES IN THE INFORMATION AGE WORKPLACE

The transformation of many office and white-collar jobs into ones prim arily dealing with managing information has brought about problems tha t previously had been associated mostly with assembly-line and blue-co llar work. Specifically, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), such as ca rpal tunnel syndrome, are a growing health problem in a number of offi ce jobs. The extent, definition, costs, and legal implications of the problem are discussed. Examples of steps many organizations are taking to combat RSI are presented. Finally, recommendations for human resou rce and other manageres are offered based on the experiences and evide nce from the collected studies and articles. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Son s, Inc.