Unix administration - Health Question

Author

Health Question

Ken Arnold

2006-03-03, 6:43 pm

This is off topic, but I have a quick health question and wanted to get
some other admin's opinions.

My office is 12 by 18 feet and I have 16 computers and 5 monitors in my
office. I am wondering if being around all of the computers for 8 hours
a day could be causing adverse health problems. I do seem to get
headaches a lot and I'm sure the noise level is not good for me.

Have any of you had similar situations where you had negative health
problems? If so, what (if anything) did you do to resolve the situation?

Are there any standards/regulations/guidelines about working around a
specific number of computers? (OSHA,etc.)

Are there any other health problems I should be concerned about working
around all of the computers for 8 hours a day?

Thanks for any responses.

Ken.

Michael Vilain

2006-03-03, 6:43 pm

In article <OO6Nf.52386$bW.31007@bignews8.bellsouth.net>,
Ken Arnold <kn6ald9@yahoo.com> wrote:

> This is off topic, but I have a quick health question and wanted to get
> some other admin's opinions.
>
> My office is 12 by 18 feet and I have 16 computers and 5 monitors in my
> office. I am wondering if being around all of the computers for 8 hours
> a day could be causing adverse health problems. I do seem to get
> headaches a lot and I'm sure the noise level is not good for me.
>
> Have any of you had similar situations where you had negative health
> problems? If so, what (if anything) did you do to resolve the situation?
>
> Are there any standards/regulations/guidelines about working around a
> specific number of computers? (OSHA,etc.)
>
> Are there any other health problems I should be concerned about working
> around all of the computers for 8 hours a day?
>
> Thanks for any responses.
>
> Ken.

Should be a problem if you wear your tin-foil helmet:

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/
http://people.csail.mit.edu/rahimi/helmet/

--
DeeDee, don't press that button! DeeDee! NO! Dee...

Dave Hinz

2006-03-03, 6:43 pm

On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 19:33:19 -0600, Ken Arnold <kn6ald9@yahoo.com> wrote:
> This is off topic, but I have a quick health question and wanted to get
> some other admin's opinions.
>
> My office is 12 by 18 feet and I have 16 computers and 5 monitors in my
> office. I am wondering if being around all of the computers for 8 hours
> a day could be causing adverse health problems. I do seem to get
> headaches a lot and I'm sure the noise level is not good for me.

Check your screen refresh rates. 60Hz will give me an awful headache,
to the point of, if I'm at someone else's monitor, I won't work on their
system until I reset it to 72 or so. Especially if there's florescant
lights.

> Have any of you had similar situations where you had negative health
> problems? If so, what (if anything) did you do to resolve the situation?

Well, if 60Hz is a concern to you, there really isn't any evidence to
support the FUD about that, so I'd look elsewhere for a more likely
cause.

> Are there any standards/regulations/guidelines about working around a
> specific number of computers? (OSHA,etc.)

There's noise levels, but unless your systems are a lot louder than any
I've heard, you're nowhere near them. But you could perhaps get a set
of noise-cancelling headphones to eliminate that possibility; a friend
has a set from Bose which works very well.

> Are there any other health problems I should be concerned about working
> around all of the computers for 8 hours a day?

Yeah, pasty skin, lack of social skills, caffeine addiction, and a
propensity to become somewhat pear-shaped. Other than that, not
particularly. Well, carpal tunnel if you don't pay attention to your
(usually) mouse-hand wrist.

> Thanks for any responses.

You sure about that?

Dave Hinz

Doug Freyburger

2006-03-03, 6:43 pm

Ken Arnold wrote:
>
> This is off topic, but I have a quick health question and wanted to get
> some other admin's opinions.

I consider it on-topic.

> My office is 12 by 18 feet and I have 16 computers and 5 monitors in my
> office. I am wondering if being around all of the computers for 8 hours
> a day could be causing adverse health problems. I do seem to get
> headaches a lot and I'm sure the noise level is not good for me.
>
> Are there any other health problems I should be concerned about working
> around all of the computers for 8 hours a day?

When I spend extended time in the raised-floor
data-centers, that's a different story. I try to keep my
ear-plugs ready and I try to remember to take them
into the data center. If I spend a few days in their,
those plugs see constant wear. I don't know how to
compare the noise level in your office with the roar
in a data center, but if you have problems hearing
folks speak to you, it's time to get mickey mouse
muffles or insert plugs. Folks who work on the
tarmac at airports need to use both, not us in the
computing fields.

Screens - Some have flicker problems some don't. I
don't but I know plenty who do. For me the biggest
problem is glare and eye strain. There are shields that
can be put in front of the screens but I tend to tilt the
screen so the reflections aren't direct. An
ergonomic solution not a technological one. Also
some have problems with eye strain and visual
accuity. That's another one I don't have bu know plenty
who do. Set your windowing system to use bigger fonts.

Repetitive stress - Ergonomics are *important*. Over
a decade ago I started to show signsof carpal tunnel.
I changed the angle of my keyboard, the adjustment of
my car, moved up the arms on the chair and so on.
Goodbye symptoms ever since. Amazing difference
and with neither medication nor surgery. Carpal tunnel
isn't the only posibility - I have nerve issues that come from
how I sleep rather than from keyboards, but I started
wearing tennis elbow braces and once again changed the
angle my chair is at. Bingo, goodbye another nerve issue
without meds or surgery.

Sedentary work - Get out there and walk. Chase the dog in
the back yard. Out and about weekends. Volunteer to to
the hardware stuff when a big box arrives in the raised floor
data center. Running cables is pretty good exercise, chuckle.

Work focus hurting home life - I don't have a hobbiest network
at home. Sure, there are some computers and such but I
don't spend much time on them at home. More time with my
wife, time at my lodge, non-work stuff so that I don't obsess
about work and go bonkers.

Now if only I could avoid that vending machine and its
unending supply of junk. I've read those dietary guides and
I wonder at that 3-5 servings of veggie thing. Uhm, that's
my lunch. Does it really mean I'm not supposed to have
veggies at dinner? ;^) Anyways, eat right and it's far too
easy to eat out of vending machines.