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After a year and an investment of more than $50,000, Macworld's offices are still not RSI-proof, but they are ergonomically correct. Much of the computer industry, by contrast, still seems to be in denial. Even in advance of the osha proposals, the Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association -- which represents two dozen computer makers -- petitioned the agency to back off, arguing that guidelines are premature because the link between computer keyboards and RSI has not yet been proved. But the companies know better, according to a lawyer representing RSI victims in the IBM and Atex lawsuits. Internal documents uncovered in the suits show that both firms were alerted to the potential danger their keyboards posed years before. ibm began training its own employees in the proper use of computer equipment in the early 1980s, but still does not notify customers about the risks of RSI. Atex, for its part, insists that the claims made by RSI victims are not supported by science.
At least some members of the computer industry are taking the threat more seriously. Before the end of the year, Dallas-based Compaq will begin printing RSI warnings on all its keyboards. Other companies -- including Apple and Microsoft -- have started selling redesigned keyboards that they hope will cut the risk of RSI. The new equipment -- and the training necessary to use it - -- can be expensive. But the cost of doing nothing could be even higher, both for the employer, who may end up in court paying damages, and for the RSI sufferer, who may never type again.