Abstract
A field experiment is described in which wrist posture, seated posture measured using the RULA method, and musculoskeletal discomfort, recorded by self-report questionnaires, was assessed for 38 office workers while they typed the same text. A pretest survey was conducted to assess the effects of typing with a conventional keyboard on a desk or on an articulating keyboard tray, and with or without wrist rests. Following this, workers were randomly allocated to either a control group (n=15), for whom nothing changed, or a test group (n=23) that used their existing keyboard in a preset tiltdown (PT) system. After some 3 weeks of using the PT system a posttest survey was conducted for both groups. Results showed no significant changes in wrist posture, seated posture, or reports of musculoskeletal discomfort for the control group. Significant improvements in wrist posture, seated posture, and upper body musculoskeletal discomfort were found for workers using the PT system. Workers expressed a strong preference for using a keyboard with the PT system.
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