Evaluation of Work Station Design Factors in VDT Operations

Abstract

An onsite evaluation was conducted at five establishments using VDTs to examine VDT workstation designs and to compare these designs to recommendations obtained from the literature. Measurements were made of such critical design factors as keyboard height, screen height, workstation illumination, and glare. Illumination levels were generally in the 500 to 700 lx range, and questionnaire data confirmed that these levels were acceptable to most employees. A number of design problems were found in the VDT workstations, including excessive keyboard heights and screen positioning which would require excessive inclination of the head and neck for screen viewing. A majority of the operators surveyed found a number of factors to be bothersome, including screen readability, reflected glare, screen brightness, and flicker. A number of the dissatisfaction parameters were found to be related to levels of somatic (health) complaints.