|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
Display Screen Equipment
See Offices; Work Related Upper Limb Disorders; Lighting; Workplace Regulations; Temperature (Welfare); Ventilation (Welfare); Welfare; Work Equipment; using the links. The Regulations and how they affect you The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 implement an EC Directive. The Regulations require employers to minimise the risks in VDU work by ensuring that workplaces and jobs are well designed. What are the hazards of DSE work? Hazards of DSE work include Work Related Upper Limb Disorders, temporary eyestrain, headaches and fatigue/stress so it is in the employers interest to ensure appropriate controls are in place. Are aches and pains caused by using a VDU? What about ‘RSI’? Some users may get aches and pains in their hands, wrists, arms, neck, shoulders or back, especially after long periods of uninterrupted VDU work. ‘Repetitive strain injury’ (RSI) has become a popular term for these aches, pains and disorders, but can be misleading - it means different things to different people. A better medical name for this whole group of conditions is ‘upper limb disorders’. Usually these disorders do not last, but in a few cases they may become persistent or even disabling. What’s the difference between a VDU, a VDT, a monitor and display screen equipment (DSE)? There isn’t one. All these terms mean the same thing - a display screen, usually forming part of a computer and showing text, numbers or graphics. This includes both conventional (cathode ray tube, TV-style) screens and the newer flat-panel displays such as those used in portable computers. Who is affected? The Regulations apply where staff habitually use VDUs as a significant part of their normal work. Other people, who use VDUs only occasionally, are not covered by the requirements in the Regulations (apart from the workstation requirements). However, their employers still have general duties to protect them under other health and safety at work legislation. I am self-employed - am I covered? The Regulations do not place any duties on the self-employed. However, parts of them apply if you habitually use a VDU for a significant part of your normal work and are using a client employer’s workstation. The client employer has to assess and reduce risks, ensure the workstation complies with the minimum requirements and provide information, as if you were an employee. But there is no requirement for employers to plan work breaks, or provide eye tests or training for the self-employed. I work at home - am I covered? Yes, the Regulations apply if you are an employee working at home, and habitually using a VDU for a significant part of your normal work. Requirements for Employers Employers have to: Analyse workstations, and assess and reduce risks Employers need to look at:
Employees and safety representatives should be encouraged to take part in risk assessments, e.g. by reporting health problems. Where risks are identified, the employer must take steps to reduce them. What do I need to consider as part of a DSE Assessment The following topics should be included in a DSE assessment: Ensure workstations meet minimum requirements These requirements are good features that should normally be found in a workstation, such as adjustable chairs and suitable lighting. They are set out in a schedule to the Regulations, covering screens, keyboards, desks, chairs, the work environment and software. Plan work so there are breaks or changes of activity As the need for breaks depends on the nature and intensity of the work, the Regulations require breaks or changes of activity but do not specify their timing or length. However the guidance on the Regulations explains general principles, for example short, frequent breaks are better than longer, less frequent ones. Ideally the individual should have some discretion over when to take breaks. On request arrange eye tests, and provide spectacles if special ones are needed Employees covered by the Regulations can ask their employer to provide and pay for an eye and eyesight test. This is a test by an optometrist or doctor. There is also an entitlement to further tests at regular intervals; the optometrist doing the first test can recommend when the next should be. Employers only have to pay for spectacles if special ones (for example, prescribed for the distance at which the screen is viewed) are needed and normal ones cannot be used. Provide health and safety training and information Employers have to provide training, to make sure employees can use their VDU and workstation safely, and know how to make best use of it to avoid health problems, for example by adjusting the chair. Information should also be provided about VDU health and safety. This should include general background information - this could be done by giving out copies of this booklet. It should also cover more specific details of the steps taken by the employer to comply with the Regulations, such as the action taken to reduce risks and the arrangements for breaks. Checklist – display screen equipment
Further Information/References The law on VDUs: An easy guide: Making sure your office complies with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (as amended in 2002) HSG90 HSE Books 200 ISBN 0 7 76 2602 4 Work with display screen equipment. Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002. Guidance on regulations L26 (Second edition) HSE Books 200 ISBN 0 7 76 2582 6 Working with VDUs: ISBN 0 7 76 6222 5. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf 2/06. HSE. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|