| ABSTRACT |
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
| CONTENTS |
| FIGURES AND TABLES |
| CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION |
| 1.1 | Background and Motivation |
| 1.2 | Objectives of the Dissertation |
| 1.3 | Structure of the Dissertation |
| CHAPTER 2 - DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF OOS |
| 2.1 | Introduction |
| 2.2 | Definition |
| 2.2.1 | Symptoms |
| 2.2.2 | Causes |
| 2.3 | The Beginnings of OOS |
| 2.4 | OOS in Computing |
| 2.5 | Acceptance of OOS in the Community |
| 2.5.1 | OOS - All in the Mind? |
| 2.5.2 | Studies Gauging Acceptance of OOS as a Disease |
| 2.6 | Incidence of OOS in New Zealand |
| CHAPTER 3 - OOS TODAY- ITS CAUSES AND PREVENTION |
| 3.1 | Introduction |
| 3.2 | Causes of OOS |
| 3.2.1 | Personal Factors |
| 3.2.3 | Ignorance |
| 3.2.4 | Working Conditions |
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| 3.3 | Prevention of OOS |
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| 3.3.1 | Laws and Guidelines |
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| 3.3.2 | OOS Policy |
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| 3.3.3 | Environmental Factors in the Office Environment |
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| 3.3.4 | Ergonomic Equipment |
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| 3.3.5 | Education and Training. |
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| 3.3.6 | Taking Breaks, Relaxation and Exercises |
| 3.3.7 | Preventative Software |
| 3.3.8 | Self Care |
| 3.4 | Summary |
| CHAPTER 4 - THE COSTS ANDBENEFITS OF PREVENTING OOS |
| 4.1 | Introduction |
| 4.2 | The Effects OOS has on people |
| 4.2.1 | The Physiological Effects of OOS |
| 4.2.2 | Social and Emotional Costs of OOS |
| 4.2.3 | The Financial Costs of OOS to the Employee. |
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| 4.2 | The Effects OOS has on people |
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| 4.2.1 | The Physiological Effects of OOS |
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| 4.2.2 | Social and Emotional Costs of OOS |
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| 4.2.3 | The Financial Costs of OOS to the Employee |
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| 4.3 | The Costs OOS has on Businesses |
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| 4.3.1 | Intangible Costs |
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| 4.3.2 | Financial Costs |
| 4.4 | Preventing OOS - Costs and Benefits |
| 4.5 | Summary |
| CHAPTER 5 - OOS SURVEY METHODOLOGY |
| 5.1 | Introduction |
| 5.2 | Motivation |
| 5.3 | Objectives |
| 5.4 | Structure |
| 5.4.1 | Business Understanding (Section 1) |
| 5.4.2 | Office Environment (Section 2) |
| 5.4.3 | Education of Employees (Section 3) |
| 5.4.4 | Management Awareness of OOS (Section 4) |
| 5.4.5 | Provision of Preventative Software (Section 5) |
| 5.5 | Survey Methodology |
| 5.5.1 | Selection of Businesses |
| 5.5.2 | Pilot Survey |
| 5.5.3 | Survey Replies |
| 5.5.4 | Limitations in the Survey Methodology |
| 5.5.5 | Efficacy of the Survey |
| Chapter 6 - SURVEY RESULTS AND ANALYSIS |
| 6.1 | Introduction |
| 6.2 | Business Understanding (Section 1) |
| 6.2.1 | Analysis of results |
| 6.2.2 | Conclusions |
| 6.3 | Office Environment (Section 2) |
| 6.5.1 | Details of Ergonomic Equipment |
| 6.5.2 | Ergonomic Keyboards |
| 6.5.3 | Purchases of Ergonomic Equipment |
| 6.5.4 | Costs of Ergonomic Equipment |
| 6.5.5 | Conclusions |
| 6.4 | Education of Employees (Section 3) |
| 6.4.1 | Analysis of OOS Education In Organisations |
| 6.4.2 | Conclusions |
| 6.5 | Management Awareness of OOS (Section 4) |
| 6.5.1 | Analysis of Results |
| 6.5.2 | Conclusions |
| 6.6 | Preventative Software (Section 5) |
| 6.6.1 | Analysis of Survey Results |
| 6.6.2 | Conclusions |
| 6.7 | Correlation analysis |
| 6.6.1 | Incidence of OOS Compared with the Organisation's Knowledge of OSH's Guidelines |
| 6.6.2 | Incidence of OOS Compared with whether or not an Organisation has an OOS Policy |
| 6.6.3 | Other Correlation's |
| 6.8 | Overall Conclusions |
| Chapter 7 - CONCLUSIONS |