1996_05 Insight May 1996

              In Focus
MAY 15,1996
Computer use can be pain in the wrist
■ Repetitive stress
injuries on the rise
the computer age
by Jefferson Beavers
Staff Writer
Dei
n's job at The Fresno
Bee requires her to come up with new
and original ideas all the time
graphic artist.
Narrin works al The Bee as safely
env ironmental coordinator. She responds to complaints and rccjuests
from employees about their work sta-
l.engthv hours speni at computer
terminals make Bee employees constant') concerned about Repetitive
Stress Injuries I RSIs). RSIs in wrists,
hands and arms potentially affect the
eniry level clerk to ihe highest-paid
page designe
person's stress.
"It's like the old adage." Wong said.
"If il hurts, don't doit."
Dr. Wong, who has a master's degree in public health. worksTas a private contractor. She consults locally
for Duncan Enterprises, Nisshinbo
California Inc. and Thc Bee.
Wong explained that muscles and
tendons can show pain up to 12 hours
I foi
uk. If
Tho
who work ;
levvspapei
of the highest RSI rates
round, Narrin said that The Bee takes
i pro-active stance on the prevention
know thai not every chair and
in til everv employee." Narrin
Everyone's different,
we have logei creative in find-
v s to make employ ees comfort
ing v.
able."
The term "RSI" serves as a blanket
category for many different kinds ..|
repetitive motion injuries. For every
pari ofthe human body, there's a special name for a way to injure a certain muscle group.
The most well-known RSIs arc-
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and
tendonitis.
Many types of RSIs
Because ofihe many types of RSIs.
symptoms and injury descriptions are
..lien confused.
Dr Rhea Wong, who specializes in
occupational medicine, said the secret
to diagnosing RSIs is determining
enough time to rest or if continued
strain is placed upon them, delayed
muscle pain can persist.
Wong said. "There's a controversy
aboul pain caused from overuse,
whether something's an injury or just
Prevention is the key
Identification and deterrence, ihen.
become the keys when the lines between normal use and overuse become blurred.
"The idea is prevention." Wong
said. "To identify what repetitive activity causes the pain."
Bee employees undergo a video
orientation session on ergonomic
work Stations after Ihev are hired
Ergonomics is the science that
seeks to adapt work or working conditions io suit the worker.
Each Bee employee works at an
economically -correct station, wiih
tables and chairs that are fully adjustable for height and comfort.
Organization's like McClatchj
Newspapers Inc., ihe parent company
of The Bee. have sought out their own
solutions lo ergonomics problems.
The federal Occupational Safety &
I leatlh Administration board | OSHAI
has balked at a national ergonomics
standard because solutions for treating RSIs are so varied.
The federal OSHA walked away
from it." said Troy Sw auger, information officer for the California Department of Industrial Relations. "It's just
too difficult to establish a criteria."
Cal OSHA has twice proposed
ergo-siandards for this state. The first
Repeated Trauma Cases Reported
by Private Industry
350n
(thousands)
332
300-
302.4
y                 isl.s
/                    SJBj
25<H
"
200-
'■I
150-
.l
100-
III
50-
...nil
xaeococacoc9Cocssshc?Nt3\o>
Bureau of Labor Statistics
1994. The other was proposed in November 1995 and is still before the
Cal-OSHA board.
Cal-OSHA gets more time
As part of a workers compensation
reform package passed in 1993. Cal-
OSHA was put on a strict deadline to
come up with a statewide ergo-standard by Jan. I. 1995.
After months of public hearings, it
became evident that no one could
agree on a viable solution that helped
workers and didn't strap businesses
financially. Sw auger said.
Cal-OSHA was sued for not making the deadline.
A California Superior court decided, however, that Cal-OSHA could
not be held to the deadline because
public debale had not revealed a possible solution.
A current Assembly Bill.AB 2504.
has been proposed by Assemblyman
Dick Ackerman (R-Fullerton) lhal
would lift the rigid deadline on Cal-
OSHA. The bill would allow Cal-
OSHA time to work on its proposals.
At The Bee. employee requests and
complaints are handled on an individual basis. Narrin said.
Because not every request can be
answered with a new chair or a new
desk. Narrin tries to look al as many
options as possible.
"Ultimately, the employer has ihe
financial responsibility," Narrin said.
"But. we take a team'approach to the
requests."
Narrin said The Bee and its employees try to be receptive to each
other's proposals for work station solutions.
Something as easy as swapping
chairs or adjusting a keyboard can
alleviate the potential for an injury.
Problems for employees
Narrin pointed to a recent example
of a short female employee w ho was
transferred to a new department.
The employee. Narrin said, had
problems w ith her new chair because
her feet couldn't reach the floor. Even
with her chair lowered, the woman's
feet still dangled, loes genlly brush
ing the ground.
Narrin said a shorter chair was nol
available. So. the rollers on thc chair
were taken off. lowering it about four
inches.
The employee was then able to
comfortably resume work, flat-footed
and economically correct.
Narrin said when requests are
made. Wong conducts a work station
evaluation to determine what's causing the employee's stress.
Wong said, "If I can see what tendon group has the problem, then 1
look to see what activity is [causing]
Wong cited another example of a
Bee employee, who she instantly
helped after watching thc employee
work.
The woman had long fingernails,
which were forcing her to type with
straight fingers. By not curving her
digits, ihe woman was putting undue
stress on the tendons in her hands and
forearms.
Muscles and tendons can hurt
Muscles and tendons get blood
through capillaries, which pass
among muscle fibers. When a muscle
is tensed, blood flow is restricted.
Without fresh blood, muscles use
stored energy until they run out.
Then, they switch to anaerobic
metabolism to function. This form of
metabolism, without oxygen, causes
by-products like lactic acid. The acids cause pain. ,
Once one muscle or tendon hurts,
all its neighbors tense up to relieve
the stress. Having all the muscles or
tendons tense becomes even more
amplified in the face of a repetitive
motion, like typing.
Wong said other common problems
for typists include over-tilted keyboards and mis-used wrist rests.
If a keyboard is cranked up at too
much of an angle, it can cramp thc
wrists, Wong said.
Thc solution: flatten the keyboard.
Wrist rests should be used to do
exactly that: rest the wrists. Typists
should let their fingers glide over the
Theaters,-from page 1
Ilk-.:
u tlk-
Fresno Metropolitan Museum.
Bill Evans, vice president for the
Economic Development Corporation
of Fresno County, said the opening
of the two theaters in Fresno could
have several effects on the area.
"When you look at the economies
of Fresno and Clovis and ask what
impact 50 screens will have, it will
have little impact. Some will gain,
some will lose." Evans said.
"Very likely, [thc Fresno-CIovis
market| will support a certain number |of theaters]. The older ones that
don't have the amenities, these theaters have run through a good portion
of their life cycle already. If vou're
an owner of one of those, you're in
trouble,*' Evans said.
"The people with the marginal-type
theaters will be hurt the most." he said.
The Pacific and Edwards theaters
will attract people from out of town
because of the novelty of having so
many screens. Evans said.
"Regionally, complexes of that si/e
are likely to draw people from the
Maderas and Hanfords." he said.
"If I were the guv building the
[new] theater. I would be thrilled."
Evans said. "If I'm building a nice
complex. I'm going to dominate the
market. If it's planned right, I'd love-
to own one of those.
"Having lhal many screens, you can
. play more titles and appeal to more
people." he said.
Theaters will try gimmicks
Evant/said owners of established
movie theaters in the area will iry
gimmicks to stay in business.
"You are going to find all kinds of
marketing schemes in order to find
their niche," Evans said
He said existing theaters may try to
improve their concessions, such as popcorn, and also try to keep iheir establishments cleaner in order to lure more
customers. They may also reconstruct
or refurbish the theaters to make them
more appealing to movie-goers.
Another option for the older movie-
houses would be converting into dis-
Standing
Room    "^
81
ONLY**
Festival Theaters
Festival Cinemas -
Six screens, 2,(H0 Scats, Fresno
Fig Garden Cinemas -
Four screens, 1.338 Seats, Fresno
Regency Ci	
Six screens, Clovis
United Artists Theaters
Manchester Mall Cinemas -
UA Cinemas North Gate -
Four screens. 967 seats, Fresno
Regency Cinemas -
Six screens, Clovis
UA 8 Movies -
Eight screens, 2,310 scats, Clovis
UA Movies 4 -
Four screens, 1 JOS seats, Fresno
UA Sierra Vista -
Six screens, 1,696 scats, Clovis
UA Broadway Fairc -
Ten screens, 2,800 seats, Fresno
count theaters that play pictures that
have already  run,  such as the
Manchester Mall theater.
"It's going to expand (consumer's]
options and stimulate current theater
owners into action. They are going to
have to modify in one form or another," he said.
Don Leet, chair of the economics
department, said the increased competition will better the movie-going
experience.
"I'd be willing to bet thai there will
be a closure of some of the movie
houses." Leet said. "1 bet you'll see
some price competition, and I bet we
will be seeing some fine art movies. I
would say. on the whole, that's a real
positive for the Fresno area."
Evans said Fresno's economy probably will not be affected by the opening of the new theaters.
"I think that the impact on the
economy is not going to be a great
deal. Current owners may see a slight
decrease, but it's possible they may
break even and not experience a loss
because more people are moving in
and watching movies." he said.
"It's possible that growth will keep
the older owner afloat," he said.
tfs a swapping of dollars
He explained lhat the new theaters
may not necessarily bring more money
into the city's economy but be redistributed among all the movie houses.
"If someone opens a hamburger
stand, theater, something like that, it's
a swapping of dollars." Evans said.
Bevon Funt. supervising planner
with thc development department for
the city of Fresno, said 80 percent of
ihe city's growth is in areas where new
movie theaters are planned.
"Northwest is probably the fastest
grow ing area of the city." Funl said.
"It probably accounts for 50 percent
of the city's growth. Thc Woodward
Park area is the second fastest growing area with about 30 percent of the
city's growth."
The Northwest area is bordered by
Shaw Avenue. Marks Avenue. Golden
State Boulevard and Hemdon Avenue.
The Woodward Park region is between Willow, Copper. Hemdon and
Blackstone avenues.
The new United Artists' Broadway
Fairc is located in the Northwest region. The proposed Pacific and
Edwards complexes are in the
Woodward Park area.
Funt said population growth during
the late 80s and early 90s led to
Fresno's expansion in those regions.
"We do have population growth,
despite the slow job market up to
1992." Funt said. "The city has been
growing 3 to 4 percent the last two or
three years. It has been slowing down
to I or 2 percent. Last year, thc city
grew 1.2 percent.
Even though the area is growing,
many are asking if the Fresno-CIovis
market can support that many screens.
"Its like asking w hich comes first,
the chicken or the egg." Evans said.
"Do you wait until the population
reaches a certain amount, or do you
anticipate lhat growth?"
Funt said population growth in thc
area has been decreasing, but it may
increase slightly over the next few
years, particularly in the Northwest and
Woodward Park regions of the city.
Funl cited lhc influx of refugees
from other counlries and retirees from
San Francisco as part of the increase
in Fresno's population.
Fresno and Clovis are growing
According to the 1980 U.S. Census. Fresno had a population of
217.491. Thc 1990 census counted
354.202 people in the city, an increase
of 62.9 percent in 10 years.
City/Place Population estimates
from the Bureau of Census for 1994
put Fresno's number of residents at
386.551.
Clovis also experienced growth. Its
population was estimated at 50,323
in 1990. It rose by nearly 10.000 four
years later.
Despite Fresno's population
growth, a new theater was not built
for 20 years until the opening of
Broadway Fairc this year. Before that,
the United Artists Movies 4 on
Barstow Avenue and Festival Cinema
on Blackstone Avenue opened in
1975.
Evans said the Fresno-CIovis metropolitan area was due for another
theater.
"In 20 years, look what's happened.
We have 500,000 souls living in the
area," he said.
Evans said the city grows by roughly
15,000 to 20.000 people a year.
"I think the area will be able to support it," Evans said. "I think some will
go out of business, but eventually the
area will grow and 100 isn't enough
and someone will come along and
build a 50-screen complex."
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keyboard. Wong said.
By typing with the wrists on the
wrist rests, it forces a person's fingers
to do all the work, she said. It takes
away from the potential support a
person's arms and forearms can give
to the hands.
Most people incorrectly believe that
computer operators suffer from CTS,
Wong said, when ihey actually have
a form of tendonitis.
In short. CTS is a specific, severe
form of RSI which describes a
squeezing ofthe median nerve of ihe
hand as it runs through a tunnel of
ligaments in the wrisl. CTS involves
general muscle discomfort including
pain, burning or tingling.
Tendonitis involves pain in specific
tendons or tendon sheaths, which become hurt or inflamed in a local area.
CTS is common form of RSI
People at risk for CTS are primarily those who have jobs involving
long periods of gripping work tools.
Vibrating work tools also may lead
to CTS.
Assembly line-type jobs where
rapid, forceful work is required have
the greatest risk for CTS. Bakers,
meat cutters, cashiers and housewives
are some of the most directly affected.
People at risk for tendonitis perform repetitive activities that require
frequent tensing ofthe tendons. These
include people who perform static
work, like typists, gardeners and athletes.
Wong said specific, early diagnoses
of RSIs are crucial, especially since
symptoms and treatments can sometimes be confused.
People often filter information
they get from their doctors. Wong
said, because many people don't
understand the differences between
RSIs.
She looks at each case as a new one
before making her own diagnosis.
"There are some unnecessary surgeries out there," she said. "If you take
some care with your work station, that-
will often be all you need lo avoid a
problem."
Gas, from page 1
average of gasoline is $ 1.56 for regular. Fresno is far below the statewide
average."
The average wholesale price of
regular unleaded gasoline in North-
em California was 98.05 cents per
gallon as of May 8. approximately
5.45 cents per gallon lower than the
April 30 peak of 103.50 cents per
gallon.
In Southern California, the price
was 96.51 cents per gallon, about 7.73
cents per gallon lower than its April
29 peak.
Since Jan. 4, the statewide-average
price increase has been approximately
56 percent.
Summer means more demand
For the month of May. production
of gasoline currently exceeds estimated daily demands. Total statewide
production of Phase 2 reformulated
gasoline is 904,000 barrels per day.
Based on historical consumption
patterns, the California Energy Commission estimated demand for gasoline for May is approximately
890,000 barrels per day.
This time of year is traditionally the
beginning of the summer driving season when there is a normal increase
in demand. Oil refineries now face the
task of not only meeting summer demands but also rebuilding depleted in-
A 4.3 cents per gallon, taxes levied
in 1993 to help balance the federal
budget were repealed by republicans
before Congress last week hoping for
a significant drop in prices.
Just in time for the busy season
of motorists during Memorial
weekend.
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VOLUNTEER TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
Insight recently conducted an informal "taste test" to find the
best takeout pizza in the Fresno/Clovis area.
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THANKS TO THE BUSINESSES THAT RARTTCIPATFD