Abstract

In order to investigate industrial fatigue due to visual display terminal (VDT) work of banking operations the questionnaire survey for subjective symptoms of fatigue was carried out on 470 bank clerks who had been engaged in VDT work for various length of work hours. The questionnaires comprised three groups of 10 items each, representing dullness and sleepiness (level of cerebral activation), difficulty in concentration (level of motivation) and bodily projection of fatigue. The results were as follows : 1. Of the 30 items of questionnaires, the highest percentage was accounted for by 'eye strain' (51.5% ), followed by 'feel stiffness in the neck or the shoulders'(33.4%), 'feel a pain in the low back'(26.8%), 'whole body feels tired'(19.6%) and 'feel headache'(17.9%) in the order of sequence. 2. The average weighted score for the first group of questionnaire items (dullness and sleepiness) was the largest among three groups and was followed by 'the third cup (bodily projection of fatigue) and the second item group (difficulty in concentration) in the order of sequence, suggesting the heavier mental stress of VDT work in banking operations rather than physical burden. 3. In terms of the age and sex of workers, work duration and VDT work percentage, the difference in average weighted score was noted only between sex, the score of female being larger than that of male. 4. The complaint rates of subjective symptoms showed close associations with the subjective optimums of room temperature, ventilation, illumination and noise level. 5. The significant correlation was showed between age, work duration and item of 'whole body feels tired', between VDT work percentage and items of 'eye strain' and 'feel stiffness in the neck or shoulders' and between all items of subjective symptoms.

Keywords

• VDT work;
• banking operations;
• fatigue subjective symptoms