An ergonomic investigation of computer workstations at Nigerian banks

The impacts which computerisation might have on the psychology and physiology of users have exercised the minds of scholars for many years. There has also been growing concern in trade unionism about the same subject and this has forced some governments to be involved in the debate. This study was conducted, not as an attempt to join a debate, rather it was an attempt to shed light on that debate through an investigation of computer workstations in an African developing country. It started by tracing the evolving nature of the issues which surround work-related diseases and how over a period of time an attempt was made to link computers with these diseases. The debate which erupted over this link has been inconclusive. Having been familiar with this debate in the developed world, the questions of health and safety of computer users in the developing countries became a major concern. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the ergonomic issues involved in the process of computerisation in the developing world. However, because computerisation process is a broad venture comprising many elements and phases, the study was devoted to computer workstation designs. Also, because of natural limitations it was impossible to investigate each African country in turn. Consequently, Nigeria was chosen as an example of these developing countries. To conduct such a study, there must be real evidence of computerisation in the chosen country. Thus, efforts were mäde to look for that aspect of the Nigerian economy which has made the most advancement in implementing computing. As in other developed countries, the banking sector in Nigeria has shown commitment to computer application. Hence, a decision was made to select it as the basis for an ergonomic research. The rate of computerisation in the Nigerian banks has been sufficiently rapid that by 1990, some banks were already experimenting with Automated Teller Machine (cash point systems). The results demonstrated that the standards and methods used in the developed countries are equally applicable to Nigeria and that most computer workstations in Nigeria failed to match the requirements of the standards