Influence of age on VDU work.

This study was conducted in a data processing centre with intensive work load. The keying speed and typing errors were monitored daily by the management for performance appraisal. The average keying speed of the operator was about 10,000 key strokes per hour. A survey on the subjective symptoms and feelings of fatigue of 68 experienced data entry operators revealed that there was no significant difference as far as physical health was concerned for the 42 young(18-30 years old) and 26 older operators (31-45 years old). However, there was a higher prevalence of visual strain and musculo-skeletal complaints among the older workers. A follow up study on the performance of 22 operators for 5 years showed that there was a significant reverse correlation between age and keying speed, r = 0.74 (p less than 0.01). A lower but significant correlation was also noted for typing errors and age, r = 0.50, (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that age has a significant influence on speed, accuracy and health of VDU operators. When discussing the ergonomics approach to VDU work, attention must be paid to the effect of this factor.