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The keyboard blues: Modern technology and the rights and risks of people at work

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A human being can only survive in the Age of Machinery if the ethical norms of life are held sacred. This Shamanist protest at the destructive power of evil, as expressed in theCurse Upon Iron, stands forth prominently in a society in moral crisis.

Abstract

Health and safety at work is a moral imperative, but the debates emphasise only the economic and legal sides. Drawing on case material from working with VDUs and other forms of modern technology it is shown that loss of control over their immediate work processes can be stressful and potentially harmful to responsible operators. Autonomy and freedom in work process control enhances the power that workers have to protect their health. It is suggested that unquestioned divisive and dualistic practices at workplaces are a potent and unnecessary reason for this problem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stress Research & Control Centre, Department of Organisational Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK

    Patricia Shipley

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  1. Patricia Shipley
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Shipley, P. The keyboard blues: Modern technology and the rights and risks of people at work. AI & Soc 9, 57–79 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01174479

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