Computer work can kill, report warns

SITTING in front of your computer screen for long hours could be lethal, a report has warned.

The European Respiratory Journal says office workers using computers for long periods of time are at risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots similar to people travelling on airplanes for long-haul flights.

It reports the case of a young man from New Zealand who nearly died after developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following long periods of physical inactivity in front of his computer. The man, the first recorded victim of a condition dubbed e-thrombosis, spent up to 18-hours a day using his computer.

He developed a massive blood clot that formed in his leg veins, broke off and travelled to his lungs.

Although the dangers of long-haul air travel have been highlighted, a similar condition was first noted in people sitting on deckchairs in air raid shelters during the Blitz in London.

Researchers, led by Dr Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, warn the widespread use of computers in so many aspects of life may put many people at risk of developing DVT. Dr Beasley has described e-thrombosis as a threat for the 21st century.

“It may be similar to the situation with the risk of blood clots with long-distance air travel. It was not until there was publicity with individual cases that the real extent of the problem was recognised,” Dr Beasley said.

The researchers advise anybody who uses a computer for prolonged periods to do frequent leg and foot exercises, and take regular breaks away from the screen.

This advice has been echoed by IBEC health and safety executive Paul Kelly, who has urged all employers to adopt health and safety guidelines on computer use which recommend that no one should spend longer than one hour in front of a screen without taking a break.

The Irish Health and Safety Authority also recommends for employers to plan schedules so that daily work at computer screens is interrupted periodically by breaks or changes in activity which reduce the work at the screen.

Mr Kelly said a break does not necessarily mean a tea or coffee break, but a break from screen work which will get people up out of their seat and moving.

He said: “The advice under these regulations is that short frequent breaks are more satisfactory than long breaks taken occasionally.

“If your want to implement safe workplace practices, you must enure employees are getting this break from the screen by working with paper or phones.”

While he said it would be rare to have anyone in Ireland working for up to 18 hours a day in front of a computer screen, he said there would be no fears about any employee developing this condition if the EU and Health and Safety Authority guidelines were applied.