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Congressional Testimony of Barry L. Johnson, Ph.D. Before the Subcommittee on Postal Personnel and Modernization, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, U.S. House of Representatives, June 8, 1984.

PB90153792

Publication Date	1984
Page Count	11
Abstract	The testimony concerned NIOSH research on carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disorder. The name, carpal tunnel, derives from the 8 bones in the wrist called carpals which form a tunnel-like structure. The tunnel contains tendons which control finger movement and provide a pathway for the medial nerve to reach sensory cells in the hand. Nerve compression results from various conditions. Repeated flexing and extension of the wrist causes the tendons to swell and thereby increases pressure in the bony tunnel which can pinch or trap the median nerve. Job tasks which involve highly repetitive manual acts or necessitate wrist bending or other stressful wrist postures, are connected with incidents of carpal tunnel syndrome or related problems. Jobs which have been identified as causing carpal tunnel syndrome have included the assembly of small parts and the manual inspection of manufactured products. Control measures focus on relieving excessive wrist deviations and arm and hand movements requiring force. Some tools have been redesigned. Other recommendations include the modification of work stations and the use of fixtures to mount work at angles and reduce the need for the worker's hand to bend at the wrist. NIOSH studies of postal worker jobs and letter sorting machine operations were described.
Keywords	Occupational diseases Musculoskeletal disorders Human factors engineering Hand(Anatomy) Industrial medicine Wrist Stress(Physiology) Carpal tunnel syndrome Testimony
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NTIS Subject Category	57U - Public Health & Industrial Medicine 41I - Job Environment 94D - Job Environment 95D - Human Factors Engineering 44G - Environmental & Occupational Factors
Corporate Authors	National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	199009

Congressional Testimony of Barry L. Johnson, Ph.D. Before the Subcommittee on Postal Personnel and Modernization, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, U.S. House of Representatives, June 8, 1984.

Congressional Testimony of Barry L. Johnson, Ph.D. Before the Subcommittee on Postal Personnel and Modernization, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, U.S. House of Representatives, June 8, 1984.
PB90153792

Publication Date	1984
Page Count	11
Abstract	The testimony concerned NIOSH research on carpal tunnel syndrome as an occupational disorder. The name, carpal tunnel, derives from the 8 bones in the wrist called carpals which form a tunnel-like structure. The tunnel contains tendons which control finger movement and provide a pathway for the medial nerve to reach sensory cells in the hand. Nerve compression results from various conditions. Repeated flexing and extension of the wrist causes the tendons to swell and thereby increases pressure in the bony tunnel which can pinch or trap the median nerve. Job tasks which involve highly repetitive manual acts or necessitate wrist bending or other stressful wrist postures, are connected with incidents of carpal tunnel syndrome or related problems. Jobs which have been identified as causing carpal tunnel syndrome have included the assembly of small parts and the manual inspection of manufactured products. Control measures focus on relieving excessive wrist deviations and arm and hand movements requiring force. Some tools have been redesigned. Other recommendations include the modification of work stations and the use of fixtures to mount work at angles and reduce the need for the worker's hand to bend at the wrist. NIOSH studies of postal worker jobs and letter sorting machine operations were described.
Keywords	Occupational diseases Musculoskeletal disorders Human factors engineering Hand(Anatomy) Industrial medicine Wrist Stress(Physiology) Carpal tunnel syndrome Testimony
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NTIS Subject Category	57U - Public Health & Industrial Medicine 41I - Job Environment 94D - Job Environment 95D - Human Factors Engineering 44G - Environmental & Occupational Factors
Corporate Authors	National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	199009