Computers are dangerous (Erin)

Since Rod's been posting so much this morning, I've been hanging back and reading like everybody else. But I can't help but share this one:

As ergonomics specialists know, using a computer can be a real pain -- in the neck, wrists, back, eyes, shoulders, etc. But it also leads to injuries that experts may not have considered, such as trips and falls over the printer cord, lacerations from the sharp corners of a CPU or bruised toes from dropping laptops on feet.

Accidents like these happen more often than you think. According to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine -- the first to tally acute computer-caused injuries like cuts and bruises -- 9,300 Americans suffer such mishaps each year. Based on data from some 100 hospital emergency rooms across the country from 1994 to 2006, the study found that 78,703 people sustained injuries ranging from scrapes and bruises to contusions and torn muscles during the 13-year study period. [...]

The study showed that the majority of computer-related injuries -- 93% -- happened at home. In all age groups, the most frequently diagnosed injury was laceration, making up 39% of cases. For adults, the leading cause of injury was hitting or getting caught on a part of a computer (37% of cases). Falling computer equipment accounted for 21% of cases, the second highest cause of injury, and among adults, hands, feet, arms and legs were the most frequently wounded parts of the body, making up 57% of all injuries.

According to the article, children get hurt in computer-related incidents even more than adults do--which is probably typical of household injuries. But the good news is that since the dawn of the smaller, lighter machines the rate of injuries seems to be going into a decline.

Still, it's clear that there are more dangers involved with the using of technology than anybody thought. We should probably all abandon our computers at once, and go hang out in British pubs instead.

Or, we could just be a bit more careful--especially when we're moving computer equipment, as the computer-injury study co-author Lara McKenzie suggests:

McKenzie's study was designed to inform the debate about the establishment of official safety standards for home offices. She hopes the results will kick-start efforts to address the issue -- similar to previous efforts to reduce television-set-related injuries -- beginning with some practical safety tips. The Center for Injury Research and Policy has a helpful fact sheet that outlines common-sense computer safety, and McKenzie offers a few simple pointers as well: "Keep computer equipment away from the edges of desks. Organize cords and keep them out of the way. Anchor furniture and heavy computer components to the wall or to the floor." And when you're moving your computer, "check that the path is clear," she says, adding with a sigh, "So many people fell while they were carrying the computer."

Feel free to share your computer-injury war stories below. Extra points if your story involves attempting to move computer equipment after enjoying the sorts of beverages served in British pubs.