[The following article is reproduced, with permission, from The Journalist, the NUJ's magazine, Oct/Nov 94 issue. Copyright Rory O'Neil. It may not be further reproduced or redistributed without permission from the author.] RSI RISK: THEY'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS ---------------------------------- By Rory O'Neil. AMERICAN COMPUTER manufacturers are facing multi-billion dollar compensation bills over RSI. Lawyers representing thousands of sufferers say the companies have known of the risks for years, but failed to warn users and continued to market inherently hazardous designs. Correspondence obtained by the Journalist shows some manufacturers - - whose hardware is used by thousands of UK journalists -- - have suppressed for years evidence of strain injury risks caused by defective keyboard design. In 1992 the systems editor at the New York Times complained furiously to Atex -- whose system is the most widely-used in British national papers--because the company had not told the paper that an improved keyboard design had been available. In a letter (extracted below), he said he was "outraged, and deeply disappointed...I must know why this was deliberately withheld from us, from the entire newspaper community and even from our sales representative, and allowed to remain such a deep secret within Atex. "You, as much as anybody, know the situation we find ourselves in regarding repetitive stress injury. With the installation of the Atex system, the number of complaints have risen dramatically. Many of our users are suffering, and a significant number of editors and reporters are out on disability." IBM is facing allegations in the US courts that it knew of ways to minimise keyboarding risks in the mid-1980s--advice it passed on to its employees, but failed to share with its customers. As long ago as 1985, IBM produced a briefing for IBM press officers in Australia who were fielding queries because of the big RSI outbreak there. Part of it said: "Q. What is IBM doing about RSI? "A. We... are re-emphasising our management practices within IBM to reduce possible risks. These practices include warm-up activities, guidance on correct posture, work variation and the provision of trained back-up personnel at times of excess workload. "Q. Besides re-emphasising your established management practices, have you done anything else for your employees in Australia, where the problem seems most acute? "A. Yes. Training programmes have sensitized our managers to the special needs and requirements of keyboard-based jobs. They are also instructed to work with their employees to identify and rectify all potential problems." But IBM did not communicate its awareness of the risks. Frank Fernandez, a lawyer for sufferers suing IBM, who is using this briefing as evidence, says, "IBM damn well knew of the dangers and they didn't say a word about it." At least 2,000 US compensation claims, including dozens from journalists at the New York Times, have already been filed against equipment manufac- turers. And Atex and IBM are not the only companies facing these "product liability" claims; there are more than 100 of them, including Honeywell, NEC, Tandy, Dell, Wang, Toshiba, DEC, Motorola and AT&T. VDU product liability cases so far have failed in the US courts. One of the latest, involving Atex, was dismissed the judge on 14 June, but there will be an appeal, and lawyers believe its only a matter of time before a case succeeds. It is a similar position to that with employers in the UK: "The first one is always very difficult to try, says lawyer Mark Collmer, who failed to convince a Houston jury in February that Compaq should have issued a warning that its computer systems could cause disabling hand and wrist disorders. If Compaq did not accept the risks were known when Mark Collmer's client, a legal secretary, started to develop RSI in August 1980, it appears to now; in August the Company announced that it would stick notices on all its computers, reading "Warning! To reduce risk of serious injury to hands, wrists, or other joints, read safety and comfort guide." IBM has reacted with concern to the word 'warning' -- a representative told the N Y Times that it 'indicates some sort of problem, and our view is that there are no scientific studies that show that~--but other manufacturers are breaking ranks and producing warning stickers. Software company Microsoft, which dominates the world PC market, has just launched a new "ergonomic" keyboard, developed at a cost of more than 8 million dollars, which comes complete with warning tags, new keyboard shortcuts and an on-screen ergonomics guide. This is one of a number of new split keyboards, which eliminate "wrist twist' and allow the hands to remain in a straight line from the forearm. Richard Teversham, Microsoft's product manager for the UK, says "Some companies say it doesn't exist. We say we don't want our customers to be guinea pigs. "It is the employer's responsibility to inform employees of risk, but we think the people who buy this keyboard will be interested in its ergonomic features and help guide." The Microsoft "health warnings", which are displayed on the keyboard and in a tag on the cord, contradict IBM's claim that no studies have shown the risks. They say: "Warning! Continuous use of a keyboard may cause Repetitive Stress injuries or related injuries. Some studies suggest that long periods of repetitive motion coupled with an improper work environment and incorrect work habits may be linked to certain types of physical discomfort or injury. These include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), Tendinitis and Tenosynovitis." Richard Teversham says sales of the keyboard have been "phenomenal" since its September launch. He won't claim that it will mean the end of keyboard-related RSIs. "This keyboard does not cure or prevent RSI, any more than a can of Diet Coke will make you lose weight. "What we want to do is educate and inform. Users have got to think about themselves, not just the keyboard, take frequent rest breaks and maintain a good position." This, of course, is what the NUJ has been saying for years. -------------------------article ends-------------------------------------- Extract from NY Times letter to Atex, dated March 30 1992: "Dear Jo, Some information has recently come to my attention which has left me outraged, and deeply disappointed in Atex. And to make matters worse, I received this information not from anybody at Atex, but rather casually from another newspaper. It seems that since January 1991, Atex has been able to offer an alternative standard keyboard with a lighter touch for PC Preference, but didn't. I must know why this was deliberately withheld from us, from the entire newspaper community, and even from our sales representative, and allowed to remain such a deep dark secret within Atex. "You, as much as anybody, know the situation we find ourselves in regarding repetitive stress injury. With the installation of the Atex System, the number of complaints has risen dramatically. Many of our users are suffering, and a significant number of editors and reporters are out on disability. Even Max Frankel, our executive editor, is walking around in a wrist brace. It is a major topic of discussion in the elevators as well as the executive boardroom. "Rightly or wrongly, our users are blaming it fairly on the Atex keyboard. Our company (and yours, I might add) have taken a considerable amount of heat, mainly because of the perception that we are unconcerned, as evidenced by the fact that nothing was being done. It just pains me to know that we were kept ignorant of a possible alternative, sitting out there for so long, so close to home, and so easily implementable. "In the meanwhile, please get back to me as to why the keyboard situation was handled as it was. The newsroom is up in arms, and I have a lot of explaining to do. "Sincerely, "Stanley Kaplan"