TAN JIA NING

The Impact of Mobile Phone on Social and Medical Problem at the Workplace

Analysis Report

September 2013

Executive Summary

The intention of this report is to investigate the increase in mobile phone use has transformed the way human live through the method communication and do business. It assesses the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of mobile phone. The report starts with advantage of using mobile phones in business can be summarized by businessman enabling organize task and work efficient, convenient internet connection and contact with partnerships across the global. It continues with an explanation that mobile phone can bring efficient communication at workplace includes one call availability and direct line of communication between the client and employees. Next, the author indicates that sending and receiving text messages and calling can cause employees loss focus on job safety and dangerous as accident and traumatic injuries while driving and working. The report describes mobile phone use can cause health negative issues include strain eyes, chronic pain and mental health problem. It also analyze the impact that mobile phone use in social and medical problem. Through the social problem, mobile phone has replaced the traditional communications which face to face and lack genuine warmth expression. The last medical problem is sleep disorder and cancer. The recommendation from this research includes face to face communication; provide workers use a hands- free device, prohibit workers from using mobile phone, off and shut down mobile phone before bed time and reduce and minimum number of call.

1.0 Introduction

As requested by the Director of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, this report examines that increase mobile phone has transformed the way human live in communication and business. The report describes the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of mobile phone if people use it most wisely and in correct way at the right time and in the right manner. These phone devise can get workers in trouble at workplace and cause medical and social problems. Hence, these problems must provide recommendation and evaluate changes to reduce the problem can occurs at workplace. This committee was asked to submit its findings by September 10, 2013.

2.0 Finding and Discussion

2.1 The advantages of Mobile Phone

2.1.1 Organizing task efficient Mobile phones are considerably the fastest growing devices today. Most of the businessman prefers that mobile phones have become an indispensable part of their work. One of the advantages of mobile phones is organizing business people daily tasks more efficiently. Mobile phones can keep them personal organized as calendar, voice recorder, calculator, contact list, automatic reminders and these features can help their personal and professional life running more smoothly. For example, a businessman can hold all his or her important contact information including clients name, phone numbers and e-mail addresses through the address book in mobile phones. Businessmen can use it to maintaining their schedule and keeping their reminder the date for upcoming events in order to achieve their goals and deadlines. By use of mobile phones, businessmen are having access to the internet without staying at the office waiting for an email. They who compose the business as a whole are never left unconnected. Through use of the mobile phones with internet access, employees can received important email sent out by client or company when they are not current working at office or travelling. This indicates that phones allow quick access to the internet for data analysis, checking and research data on the fly. Mobile phones can produce the world a lot smaller as it enable them to contact with clients and supplier across the global. Businessman from different cultures can interact on a frequent basis through making call, video and messages. Global partnerships have become more convenient as video conferencing have facilitated meeting that cost less to conduct than flying halfway across the world. 2.1.2 Efficient Communication

Research indicates that innovation of mobile phones was fast change the process of human communication action such as checking and recording voicemail, sending and receiving text messages, making and receiving call. These action communications can enable people often contact with the clients across the globe. The majority of viewer felt that testing messages are most of the people use it as text was carried out minimal cost and save the time on face to face communication. Besides, on-call availability is an important interaction as it enables business associates and colleagues to talk without necessarily face to face to meeting at anytime and anywhere. It also can maintain a smooth communication even their in remote areas. Employees who have mobile phones can reach faster with unpredictable work schedules and strict deadlines. In this way, the on- calling of phone can help them are more time to prepare for their task when their manager was last minutes change of plans ever there were outside office or on the road. Suppliers and other branches company preferred that calling as it is fast communication tools to prevent their valuable time wastage, inconveniences and less cost on their travelling expenses.

In addition, a few clients approve of mobile phones can provide the convenience as they emphasized it can direct line of communication. Clients prefer calling a phone instead of navigating automated answering system. Some of frustrated clients become angrier when they were waiting employees reply information and solve some problem for a long time in navigate the phone system. This implies that employees have mobile phone can help clients reach them directly and easily gain more information product and resolve the conflict as quickly as possible.

2.2 The Disadvantages of Mobile Phones 2.2.1 Accident

All the analysis I have seen that most of people agree that mobile phone use while driving increase the risk of an accident. Using mobile phone while driving can create safety risk for the driver and passengers as well as other road user. Motor vehicle collisions are harmful to them in minor, serious, crippling and even fatal injuries when employees using phone while driving. As one viewer reported that worker was talking the mobile phone and ran off the road into a tree. Besides, drivers often take their hand from the wheel as they were catching phone to texting messages and it would cause an accidents at anytime. They werent paying attention and often concentrated on the mobile phone while driving and struck another vehicle. Thus, the motor vehicles collisions can affect them had pay high health care costs, litigation expenses, lost work time and insurance administration, in addition the company must bear a significant fraction of the monetary cost to repair company motor vehicle collision. 2.2.2 Traumatic injury

Using mobile phones can cause employees serious injury at the workplace when used at the wrong time. Research indicates that more employees able tumble down of stairs and trip on a crack in ground while looking down the phone. They who are paying attention in mobile phones can lead to being oblivious to their surrounding and lose focus on doing their jobs safety. Sending and receiving text messages at workplace can be just as dangerous and hazard to co-workers safety. Machine operation reported that a man worker was traumatic injury as cause by mobile phones. This situation was happened too fast. He usually keeps his phone in his locker before start working, but his wife was checking an ultrasound that morning and then he bring his phone into the factory as to know them were having a little girl or a little boy. He had focus checking and looked down on his phone when him receive his wife message while operating machine. As he tried to reply, he somehow dropped the phone into the machine and his first reaction was to grab it before it got eaten. His hand was crushed when it was caught between the conveyor roller and the belt. 2.2.3 Negative Health IssuesResearchers indicate that negative health effect of mobile phone had become serious if people use it at wrong time and in wrong manner. Health risks of mobile phone including strain eyes, chronic pain and mental health problem. One of the most recent health problems by the mobile phones are straining eyes. The phone screen is smaller than the size of hand and those tiny fonts in bright screen can make squint and strain them eyes. Symptoms of strain eye are including eye redness or irritation, dry eyes, blurred vision and difficult focusing.

It also affects chronic pain and inflammation later in life when they were typing text with speed and repetition of the mobile phones. Majority of users phone felt that the frequent bending of their elbow to hold phone to ear can affect a nerve arm that leads to tingling sensations. When people spend long hours in phone, it can leads to pains in wrist, shoulder, neck and elbow. This implies that the pressure can lead to arthritis condition of the bones and pressure on the spine.

Recently, people became addicted to their mobile phone and in the end it possible can make them crazy. Research indicates that mobile phone could be increasing mental health problem. Most people are lost their phone, which is implies by the fact that 40 to 50 percent of those surveyed said that they would be restless and upset. Few people felt panicked and anxiety if phones are taken away from them even for a day. They cant function as well without it.

2.3 Social and Medical Problems

2.3.1 Lack face to face communication

Along with technological development, mobile phones became great communication as it brings convenience and high speed around globe. However, it can affect people lack face to face communication and sociality. Recently, supervisor often report that most of employees were constantly looking down their mobile phones during dinner in cafeteria and gathering together in restaurant without the verbal communication. They usually had seen to be more comfortable and interested in communicating through test messages on their mobile phones.

Researches indicate that employees who spent more time in mobile phones will become an introverted as live in their own world. This personality could damage their capacity of managing the real problem and escape the real world. It will also affect them inability face to face communication and in order it could losing interpersonal interaction skill. Besides, lack face to face communication can cause them not confident to present themselves correctly with natural body language, genuine eye contact and clear inflection and tone when meeting and interview.

2.3.2 Lack Genuine Warmth ExpressionText messages were create laziness in todays society as language has been shortened to save time and emoticons symbol has been directed to replace human facial expression. These emoticon are referred to as smiley face could affect the received felt that messages are lack the genuine warmth expression from sender. Besides, the receiver thinks that sender is cold and indifferent as avoided meeting together to discuss the issues. As one client reported that apology messages or phone call would not suffice to solve problem and lack sincerity expressed in the senders message. This implies that misunderstanding and misinterpretation the source of the messages can occur. Viewers believe that if employees continue communication via text messages and email, then they are less likely to builds genuine personal relationships with societies and clients that are long lasting.

2.3.3 Sleep DisorderThe sources showed that those people who use an electronic gadget as mobile phones for just two hours before bad can affect them falling asleep. As one worker report that she often stays connected through texting and email at midnight until her had sleep disorder and must scoffing sleeping pills. Thus, the mobile phone was robbing her a good nights sleep and health body. The study found that sleep disturbances cause by lack of sleep to phone use can impair concentration in performance and academic, headaches and fatigued, personality changes and alertness.

Researches from Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute indicate that the night time use of electronic devices with self- luminous and backlit could affect melatonin suppression and delayed the bedtimes. LRC was evidence that the light of mobile phones emit about 30 to 50 lux, only half the illumination of an ordinary room light. Then, exposure to phone light at night can delay the timing of the circadian clock as well as suppress the production of the hormone melatonin and interrupting sleep. Long term suppression of melatonin by light at night has been implicated increased risk for obesity and serious diseases like breast cancer especially for nightshift workers do their job for many consecutive years.

2.3.4 CancerThe International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that there is no strongly evidence that radiofrequency energy from phones use can cause cancer problem, but more research and investigated is needed. Majority of people are believe and concerned that the mobile phones might have potential to cause brain tumors and cancer.

They believe that use of mobile phone for five or more years was associated with increased risk of acoustic neuromos which is tumors for hearing. Researches indicate that mobile phone can emit radiofrequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. This energy can be absorbed by human tissues nearest where the phone is held. The length of each call, the number of phone calls per day and amount time of phone users has increased rapidly. Hence, the risk of acoustic neuroma increased with the increasing duration of mobile use. 3.0 Conclusions

On the basis of the finding and discussion above, it would seem that there are both advantages and disadvantages of using mobile phones. The user must use it wisely. If people often vigilant about negative side effects, mobile phones can be the powerful tool which allow workers have instant access to communication and information at the workplace. 4.0 Recommendation

4.1 Face to face Communication

Employees should face to face communication at the workplace without using a phone call or text message. Face to face communication used when employees assign and delegate their work at workplace will build high understanding level and more efficient. This action able the receivers feel their genuine emotion and expression, catch the subtle tone in their voice and see their eye contact. Face to face communication can build more confidence to the listener as them can feel the genuineness of the sender.

4.2 Provide workers use a hands- free device

Employees must avoid using mobile phones as it able distract them attention from the road. Driver should put their cell phone calls go to voice mail and call back again when they put over their car on the side of the road. Company must provide workers use a hands- free device while driving. Voice input through a hands- free phone are significantly safety and efficient driving performance compared to a hand- held phone. This solution can improve employee safety and prevent reputation damaging accident. 4.3 Prohibit workers from using mobile phones Company should prohibit employees from caring mobile phones and kept it into their own locker before start working at the workplace. They only permitted to use phone when they are not working and on lunch and break time; in addition, use it a designated area like cafeteria or canteen. Personal conversations, checking email, surfing the internet or social network, playing games, and sending and receiving text messages shouldnt permit and recommend them at the workplace. Furthermore, the company should plan for emergency contact to allow employees to be reached an actual emergency from families. For example, it must procedure that calling into the switchboard or it calling direct line of the plant manager and shift supervisor, who will then come get worker from them workplace.

4.4 Off and shut down mobile phone People should shut down or closed off up mobile phones for two hours or at least an hour before bed time. This solution can reduce the negative effect of light sources on sleep. They must put away phone at least 9 inches of distance between them and their phone as didnt affected by the radiation. Glow of phones must be stopping them sleeping at night. The screens brightness should be dimming at night as much as possible in order to minimize melatonin suppression in addition it will allow filtering of the worst wavelengths . They also must limit the amount of time spent using electronic gadget and least not be used for more than an hour at bedtime.

4.5 Reduce and minimum number of call

They must minimum number of calls per week or month, the length of each call, and amount time of use phone. They should be used for shorter conversation in order for important emergencies. Besides, people must use a hands- free device such as wired and wireless headset and these hands-free devices must keep their phone away from body and head. A small chip like cell phone microwave radiation protection device is available, which has the ability to absorb electromagnetic energy waves from phones. It helps in reducing the potential harmful effects of emissions to the human body. 5.0 References

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