Ghasem Hesam, Mohsen Aliabadi, Maryam Farhadian, Vahid Afshari Doust,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Journal of Ergonomics 2013)
Abstract
Background: The use of visual monitors especially in relation to computer can cause health effects which have negative impacts on mental and physical performance of users. This study aims to determine the relation between ergonomic conditions in use of visual monitors and subjective feeling of fatigue in master science students as permanent users.
Methods: In this study, 40 students in the Hamadan University of Medical Scienceswere selected based onsimplerandomapproach. For determining subjective feeling of fatigue, the standard questionnaire with reliability coefficient equal to 0.8 was distributed and completed among students. This questionnaire has 30 questions which was covered three criteria included drowsiness, difficulty of concentration and physical impairment. The data about environmental and ergonomic conditions of the workstations was also recorded. Exposure to electromagnetic radiation in very low frequency was measured using instrument model HI 3603 front of the studied monitors. Data was analyzed with SPSS 16 software.
Results: The results showed mean score of drowsiness, difficulty of concentration and physical impairment were 17.8±6.5, 18.7±4.4 and 11.9±6.9, respectively. Totally, mean score feeling of fatigue was 48.5±15.7. The relation between continuous work time and feeling of fatigue was significant (P<0.05).The relation between work day time and feeling of fatigue was not significant (P>0.05). The relation between type of used monitor and feeling of fatigue was significant (P<0.05). Moreover, the relation between environmental conditions of the workstations and feeling of fatigue was not significant (P>0.05). However, descriptive results showed growing trend of feeling of fatigue in unsuitable environmental and ergonomic conditions. Moreover, exposure to electromagnetic radiation between to type monitors was statistically difference (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Criterion of difficulty of concentration was allocated the maximum score of feeling of fatigue which can cause negative impacts on educational performance. Compliance with the ergonomic principles especially reduction continuous work time and use of updated monitors and optimization of lighting and acoustic conditions of the workstations can reduce feeling of fatigue among students, considerably.
