Workstation Regulations.
- Workstation Sense: what you need to know.
- It pays to be pro-active.
- It's the law!
- So, you want to know more?
- Checklist to comply with the Workstation Regulations.
- What the Regulations include.
- Definition of The DSE, The Workstation and The User.
- The Assessment and Reduction of Risk.
- Workstation Requirements.
- Work Routine.
- Eye Tests at a glance.
- User Training at a Glance.
- Providing Information at a Glance.
Workstation Sense: what you need to know.
60% of your staff could be working more productively.
A major research survey established that 6 out of every 10 people can benefit from making adjustments to their computer. We are used to adjusting things to suit us, and computers should be no different. It's just that most people don't think of adjusting their PC, when it's often simple and easy to do. Computer users are short and tall, wear glasses, have had previous injuries, cope differently with the pressure of deadlines and stress and in an average office.
- 10% will be left handed.
- 15% won't be able to read a 10 point font without straining their eyes.
- 10% + will have dyslexia.
So no adjustments lead to time-off, time-out, less ability to cope with stress: a lack of productivity that's bound to affect the profit margin.
It pays to be pro-active.
People hate to make a fuss. They put up with discomfort rather than draw attention to themselves and will take time out to go to the doctor before they admit to their boss that something's not quite right. Creating an environment where employees know it's OK to raise issues of discomfort is the first step to improving productivity.
Take a minute to add up the working hours lost through headaches, back pain and stress, then build in some extra for tired eyes at the end of the day, and you'll realise it makes total senses to take pre-emptive action to set up workstations properly in the first place. Healthy computer use is good for business.
It's the law!
You need to comply. The relevant legislation is The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (amended 2002) designed to protect the health of regular computer users.
Fail to take action and you could find yourself in court with an employee compensation claim. More importantly it makes total business sense to think about workstation set up for an immediate improvement in morale and work capacity. It's simply good business sense.
Sustained poor posture at a workstation is a key factor in exacerbating any existing health problems. The main risks identified in the Regulations are musculoskeletal (such as back, neck, wrist pain), visual fatigue and mental stress. These are directly related to the frequency, duration, intensity and length of continuous use of DSE. (Apologies now for the one abbreviation in this CD: DSE is used throughout for Display Screen Equipment).
This CD is all you need. What's more it's designed to be straightforward to follow and jargon-free. Offer it to your staff and they can also help themselves, learn short-cuts and improve their computer use.
So, you want to know more?
The CD takes you through the various risk assessments and training needs and guides you towards possible solutions. It has been created by AbilityNet, a charity specialising in computing and disability, working with thousands of people every year, in employment, at school or at home. AbilityNet has considerable experience of delivering individual workstation assessments on behalf of employers where the user is reporting discomfort when operating Display Screen Equipment and advises a wide range of organisations on healthy computer use.
If you'd like to study the regulations in more detail, you can obtain some helpful literature from HSE Books, PO Box 199, Sudbury, Suffolk. CO10 6FS. Tel 01787 881165 Fax 01787 313995.
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
L26 ISBN 0-7176-2582-6 - VDUs: An Easy Guide to the Regulations HS(G)90,
ISBN 0-71 76-0735-6 - Working with VDUs
INDG36 ISBN 0-7176 1504-9 - DSE Work. Guidance on Regulations
L25 ISBN 0-71 76-041 0-1 - HSE public enquiry service:
Tel: 08701 545500 - HSE home page:
www.hse.gov.uk
Checklist to comply with the Workstation Regulations.
Is an adequate system in place to ensure compliance with the Regulations both short and long term?
Do you have training and relevant information in a suitable format for staff, so they are aware of risks and how to avoid them?
Do you carry out risk assessments taking individual needs into account?
Do you involve users in the assessment process?
Do you have a system to encourage early reporting of the onset of any user related symptoms, and a process for addressing these?
Do you have a process to act on identified risks within a specified time?
Is there effective management of those who have reported symptoms or who are returning to work following sick leave?
What the Regulations include:
- Definition of the DSE and the workstation components and the user/operator.
- Assessment of risk and the reduction of identified risks.
- Workstation requirements.
- Work routine.
- Eye tests, corrective appliances and employers' liability for costs.
- Need to provide user training.
- Need to provide information.
Definition of The DSE, The Workstation and The User.
The DSE includes the screen, keyboard, mouse and software.
The Workstation includes optional accessories to the DSE, the telephone, printer, document holder, chair, desk, work surface and the immediate work environment.
The User.
- The Regulations apply to those who use DSE as a significant part of their normal work.
- It includes full or part-time employees, self-employed people, home workers, mobile tele-workers and agency workers.
An individual is classified as a user if:
- The DSE will be used for continuous or near continuous spells of an hour or more.
- and used more or less daily.
- and information will be required to be transferred quickly and will need a high level of concentration .
- and the work will be highly dependent on DSE (with the user having little choice in using an alternative).
Exceptions can still be covered by other Regulations which relate to ergonomics such as The Health and Safety at Work Act.
The Assessment and Reduction of Risk.
Factors that can affect health include one or more of the following: inappropriate equipment or furniture, structure of daily activities and job design, the immediate environment, poor posture and poor working methods.
Risk Assessment at a Glance.
- Risk assessments should be conducted to identify potential hazards and the risks from these.
- Identified risks must be reduced as soon as possible.
- Generic equipment assessments, such as chair adjustability, are acceptable where groups of workers undertake the same task.
- Generic assessments must be supplemented by information that takes specific user needs into account.
- Users can be asked to complete an ergonomic checklist, but must receive prior training to ensure they understand the issues involved.
- Shared workstations: the needs of all users have to be considered.
- Risk evaluation and assessment: the person responsible must have sufficient expertise to be able to take action.
- Issues can be addressed through discussion with the user and observation.
- Solutions should be practical and could include workstation modification, changes to work practices and physical adjustments to chair or desk.
- Prompt response to the early reporting of symptoms will help reduce the risk of further injury and aid recovery.
- Referral to a health professional may be necessary if symptoms become worse.
- Risk review will be required when new software is introduced or job structure or location changes.
Workstation Requirements.
Components should be flexible and adjustable and the user should be able to obtain and maintain a good posture when operating DSE, reading or writing.
Workstation at a Glance.
DESK: suitable size and depth with sufficient legroom.
CHAIR: adjustable height and seat, supportive to the back, arms do not prevent good access to the keyboard, feet can rest flat on the floor (or footrest provided).
LIGHTING: adequate with no glare or reflections on the screen.
SCREEN: adjustable in height and angle. No flickering, adjustable brightness and contrast, the characters clearly defined.
SOFTWARE: appropriate to the task.
Work Routine.
The Regulations state that employers should plan daily activities of DSE users to periodically interrupt DSE work by breaks/ changes of activity to reduce their workload at that equipment. The aim is to reduce the effects of static posture.
Work routine at a Glance.
- Does the user have regular natural breaks (such as phone calls, meetings, collecting material from a printer)?
- Do these breaks involve movement, change of posture, change of hand/arm position, change of type of movement?
- Are users aware of simple exercises to relieve tension and help circulation?
- Has 'break reminder' software been considered to prevent users becoming over engrossed in their work risking long periods without breaks?
- Jobs requiring intensive use of the DSE without natural breaks require the introduction of rest breaks. Ideally brief and frequent, at least 5 minutes hourly.
Eye Tests at a glance.
- When an employee requests an eye-test, it's the employer's responsibility to ensure this is carried out.
- The DSE user should provide the optometrist with the distance from which the screen is viewed.
- If corrective glasses are required the employer is liable for the cost of standard corrective glasses. For example, if the user wears bifocals, fixed lens glasses may be prescribed to reduce neck movement/discomfort. The employer will be liable for this cost.
User Training at a Glance.
- Employers must provide health and safety training in the use of any workstation the user is likely to work at.
- Training should be refreshed and updated when there are any modifications to the workstation, job design or software.
- New users should receive this training before using the workstation, so they can take steps to reduce the risk of injury to themselves.
- Training should be provided before undertaking the risk assessment.
Guidance on Training content.
- should aim to reduce the risks associated with musculoskeletal problems, visual fatigue and mental stress.
- should stress the important role users have in reducing the risk to their own health (e.g. adjusting position, taking breaks).
- may be combined with more general training and should take into consideration the tasks the users are required to do (e.g. a user entering data will need different advice regarding rest breaks to a user whose role involves frequent changes of activities).
The training should include the following elements:
- how to recognise risks: risks, symptoms and what to look out for.
- causes of risks: including poor posture, workstation set up, lack of breaks.
- actions to minimise risks including:
- the importance of posture and postural changes.
- how to adjust furniture correctly.
- how to arrange workstation components.
- screen cleaning.
- importance of taking breaks and changing activity.
- reporting procedures: initial contact to report identified risks or ill health symptoms.
- information about the Regulations.
- the risk assessment process and the user's role in this.
- returning to work procedures for reassessing needs/risk after absence due to illness/musculoskeletal disorder.
Providing Information at a Glance.
All employers should ensure that users are provided with adequate information regarding health and safety and the measures that the employer has taken to comply with the Regulations.
Users employed by another employer do not need to be informed about eye tests and initial training and a self-employed person only has to be informed about the risks, risk assessment and measures to reduce the risks.
The information must be accessible to all members of staff and all staff need to be suitably trained. Information can be supplied via email, posted on an Intranet, printed as a memo, displayed on wall charts or given in verbal briefings.