[Studies on the cervicobrachial disorder among cash register operators. Part 1. Changes of characteristics of patients after improvement of working conditions].
Occupational cervicobrachial disorders (OCD) among cash register operators have become an important problem since 1969. Some improvements of working conditions, such as, shortened operating time, adoption of worker rotation system and change of mechanical registers with heavy keytouches to electronic ones with light keytouches, were introduced in 1973-1974 at supermarkets at which the authors engaged in health care activities for the prevention of the disorder. Analysis was made for characteristics of 120 cash register operators of these supermarkets suffering from OCD during the period from 1972 to 1978, with special concern for differences before and after the improvement of working conditions. The subjects were divided into three groups by the year of their first consultation, A: 1972-1973, B: 1974 and C: 1975-1976. Patients of group A had engaged in cash register operation under the working conditions before improvements, and those of group C had engaged after improvements of working conditions. The authors observed that the incidence of the disorder among group C were less than that of group A, but the proportion of severe cases to all the patients were not changed. In group C more cases with chronic onset were observed than among the other two groups, and those patients with chronic onset took longer period for recovery compared with the other patients. In patients of group C compared with those of group A fewer complaints and muscle tenderness in the hands and fingers were noticed, and more cases with lowered back strength and cinesalgia of the neck were observed. The reasons for this were considered to be that the improvement of working conditions reduced the loads to the hands, but not much reduced the loads to the neck and the back.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D020968:Brachial Plexus Neuritis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009787:Occupational Medicine; D013997:Time Factors