商品詳細

The introduction of microprocessor technology into workplaces has been accompanied by a series of complaints about the effects of the equipment on operators. The possible emission of harmful radiation, for instance, initially caused great concern in Great Britain and received more public attention than any other single problem associated with VDUs. More recent cases have focussed on the ill-effects of constant and repetitive movements at the keyboard. Other countries have experienced different concerns however, from the colloquially known "kangaroo paw" in Australia, to fears of neurophysiological damage in the USA and Canada. In this book the authors explore the contexts of these different outcomes. They argue that, with uncertainty surrounding evidence of medical harm, social factors have come into play. The result has been that health hazards have been socially constructed through a complex process of negotiation by a wide range of people, from scientists, managers and unionists to the workers themselves.