Diseases Produced by Technology

The list of conditions is extensive and grows over time. Employees with anxiety, depression, self-absorption, lack of empathy, stress and addiction to work go more frequently to specialists, but so do those who suffer from cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions associated with a higher level of sedentary and physical inactivity in their workplaces, because today they make less effort than before in their work.

Specialists affirm that new risks have been created and these increase as the use of technologies expands, but they believe that it will be a long time before the dimension and impact of these conditions on workers' health are known.

However, figures indicate that 66 percent of workers are exposed to psychosocial risk factors and have reported high levels of stress.

Although such risks can be of both extraneous and individual origin, much of it is generated in the work environment and is highly dependent on working conditions, experts say.

Numbers are getting high

"We have observed an increase in mental and physical illnesses as well as high levels of stress, the latter associated with increasingly blurred limits on working hours and lack of physical contact with others," warns a specialist in the area.

Of every 100,000 workers, about 100 were diagnosed with a work-related illness last year. Some 10,450 qualified work-related illnesses occurred in the same period, 7.8 percent more than in 2017, while up to May of this year more than 5,400.

Although the statistics of the guild do not distinguish which or what volume of these diseases are the result of the use of technology, they indicate that the most common occupational diseases today include carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff, lateral and middle epicondylitis, and lumbar disc disorder, as well as disorders of the intervertebral discs.

Referring to the speed with which these ailments advance, a specialist said that the situation is worrying because "we are heading towards an epidemic" because of the technological phenomenon.

New Risks

Although patients with mental illnesses are more frequent, the physical effects of excessive interaction with technology at work are no less, although the former also stem from the growing addiction of individuals to social networks and the Internet.

Two main groups must be distinguished: psychosocial and ergonomic illnesses.

First group

The first include techno-stress. Seen as addiction to technology and work overload, which can lead to greater pressure to improve performance.

There are also imbalances between work and personal life as a consequence of 'being available' at all times for work, isolation, as a result of distance work and lack of social interaction, as well as job insecurity, due to different hiring conditions.

Second group

In the second group, there are the ergonomic ones, which are presented before the greater use of mobile devices and sedentary work.

This increases the risk of contracting health conditions related to musculoskeletal disorders, visual fatigue, obesity, heart disease, among others. There are also risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields.

The adoption of robotic and automation technologies poses the challenge of responding to new ergonomic risks.

It points out that "these range from electromagnetic fields, accidents due to lack of understanding, control and knowledge of work processes, to over-confidence in the infallibility of the robot, especially when people and that artificial intelligence interact closely."

Attacking The Problem

The government is taking steps to counter the growing problem that threatens to turn into an epidemic, according to experts, who say the fight must come from the individuals themselves.

It is the duty of companies to guarantee positive working conditions that promote the well-being and quality of working life of all workers.

Strategies, programs and actions must be generated to promote mental health and ensure that companies include permanent monitoring of exposure to psychosocial risk factors.

Progress must be made in the literacy of the responsible use of technologies in order to focus management and achieve adequate control of risks.

All parties have to participate

It is recommended to participate in the government's policies and projects in the area of prevention and carry out advanced risk assessments in the workplace.

It is also recommended to involve workers in the planning and implementation of digitization strategies. Create a framework to clarify occupational health and safety obligations and responsibilities arising from new systems and forms of work.

Working in the culture of self-care is seen as key to empowering workers as key actors in their protection.

This will lead us to manage the phenomenon from a holistic perspective.

This is possible if we work together with public and private institutions in order to respond with policies that promote early detection, reincorporation, readaptation and accompaniment of people who have been diagnosed with some type of mental or physical illness.

Disorders Caused By Abuse Of Networks And The Internet

A doctor who is an expert in sophrology tells us that every day patients of all ages arrive at his office, especially young people, with anguish, anxiety, stress, psychosomatic problems derived, most of the time, from their work and from the use of social networks and technology.

He says that he has detected pathologies such as:

Nomophobia

Anxiety of not having access to the cell phone.

Syndrome of the imaginary call.

People who hallucinate that their cell phone rings or vibrates.

Cyber dizziness

Derived from the virtual screens of the new equipment, people begin to produce these sensations in their limbic system.

Cyberchondria

Internet search for diseases, to the point of believing that you suffer from them.

Dependence on the Internet

Unhealthy need to be connected to the web.

Facebook syndrome

Excess of contacts in the network or the absence of these. It generates depression, often because their lives are not like those of their virtual friends.

We must only become aware of how we manage our time on the cell phone and not let ourselves be completely absorbed by our work. Currently you can configure your phone to use only the hours a day that you establish, and this would be a good start.