ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s Australia saw a rapid rise in reports of work-related upper limb disorders, largely among workers whose jobs involved repetitive hand movements. Although assembly line workers are most at risk in this respect, the greatest publicity was given to keyboard workers, among whom the problem seemed to occur in epidemic proportions. “Repetition strain injury” (RSI), as it was called, became a focus of media attention and professional concern, and the term “RSI” became a household expression. The epidemic reached its peak in 1985 and then slowly waned. By the end of the decade, although new cases continued to be reported, RSI was no longer a major issue in the public consciousness. One very concrete indicator of this rise and fall in public concern was the number of articles about RSI appearing in The Canberra Times, the daily newspaper in the national capital: 1 in 1982, 5 in 1983, 31 in 1984, 47 in 1985, 54 in 1986, 30 in 1987, 20 in 1988, and 11 in 1989 (Bammer 1990).
