display scree n equ - ea, north eastern region - … · · 2014-12-16area person general office...

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DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT

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INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this document is to give guidance to employees who work with Visual Display Units and to help the NEELB ensure compliance with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (NI) 1992. Display screen equipment (DSE) includes Visual Display Units (VDU) terminals, portable system such as laptops and hand held electronic communication devices that are in prolonged use.

The regulations require employers to carry out an assessment of the workplace where staff are employed in the use of VDU’s in order to reduce the risk of associated ill health, this guidance outlines how to carry out an assessment of the workstation and its environment.

GUIDANCE DETAILS

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. The advice in this guidance applies to the whole workstation, job and work environment, as well as to the VDU, keyboard and other equipment.

Definition of a user

Not everyone who uses DSE is covered by the regulations. The regulations cover only those staff who are most at risk and would include employees:

• who use DSE more or less continuously on most days; and

• who use DSE for spells of one hour or more at a time.

Suggested areas where assessments may be required;

Area Person General Office Secretary/Clerical Staff Library Librarian IT Room Technician/Teacher Other rooms where DSEs are in use Technician/Teacher

At this stage it is not expected that workstations used by pupils will be subjected to the requirements of these regulations. However where possible, best practice in relation to workstation design should be followed.

What does the assessment entail?

The assessment should involve an examination of the workstation and its environment. Consideration should be given to include the current working practices and health of the user. The main elements of the assessment are:

The desk

This should have ample space to carry out the work and be of sufficient height to allow for postural changes.

The chair

The chair should have height and back adjustment and also have lumbar support.



The computer

The screen should be adjustable and the characters should be easily read.

General environment

The equipment should not be located in an area where glare from windows or lights are likely. Window blinds or curtains are considered to be essential in offices where display screen equipment is used.

Additional items

Additional items, which may be of benefit to users are:

A document holder;

A foot rest;

A wrist rest; and

A mouse rest.

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Eye Tests The regulations make provision for eye tests for employees who are designated as users of display screen equipment. Employees should contact Human Resources Section for further details on eye tests and allowances for DSE spectacles. Working with a laptop and other portable equipment Laptops and other portable equipment have to be compact and easy to carry. The resulting design features like small keyboards can make prolonged use uncomfortable unless steps are taken to avoid problems.

It is best to avoid portable equipment if full sized equipment is available.

Sitting

Avoid slouching;

Don’t sit forward in a hunched-up position;

Don’t place the laptop too close to the edge of the desk. This will cause you to look down too much and puts your head and neck in a stressful posture; and

You may find it easier to push the laptop backwards a little. This can be more comfortable for your head and neck. Your arms can rest on the desktop and you will find it easier to keep your wrists in a relaxed or neutral position.

Make sure your chair supports your back

Sit right back in your chair so that your backrest can support you;

Use a pillow or suitable alternative to support your back if the chair doesn’t provide this support; and

Make sure its curve fits snugly into your lower back.

Avoid leaning to one side

Avoid leaning or bending to one side to read your screen or hardcopies;

Remove any obstructions that prevent you sitting directly in front of your display, such as a pedestal unit; and

If you are reading from a hardcopy, try to keep it as close to the laptop as possible. Use a copy stand whenever possible.

Arms and shoulders

Avoid bent wrists;

Avoid sitting too high, or too low;

Always try to work on height adjustable chairs. Avoid meeting room chairs that often do not have this adjustment facility;

Ensure that your forearms are roughly horizontal when your hands are on the keyboard. This will allow you to work with your wrists in a straightened position when typing; and

Watch out for pins and needles, a loss of sensation and dull aches. Minimise the risks. Short breaks as you work are helpful.



Using the mouse

Use the trackball or glide pad so that your hand is flat and keep your fingers relaxed.

Reading the screen

Avoid glare on your display screen;

Glare or reflected light is often a problem for laptop users. The screen should be roughly perpendicular to your line of sight. If you see glare, adjust your screen away from the light source to find a position where the reflections are not visible. You may have to slightly adjust your sitting position after doing this;

If a window is causing a problem, try to move so that you do not have your back to it. If you are positioned sideways on to a window, try to move as far away from it as possible;

Make sure your display remains legible;

Regularly clean your screen with approved cleaning materials; and

Adjust the screen brightness to suit the ambient light level.

GENERAL TIPS

Batteries

Get the most out of your batteries by checking and following the recharging regime. This will help to avoid carrying extra batteries; and

Utilise any power conservation settings that help prolong the life of your batteries.

Carrying

Try to reduce the amount of weight you have to carry (see batteries above);

Try to avoid taking hard copies of documents that may already be on your laptop;

Where appropriate, use luggage that has wheels; and

When carrying your laptop, try to use a carrying case with a padded shoulder strap.

In most cases the assessment will be straight forward and involve only a few minutes observation of the display screen activity. A common sense approach will generally be enough. In difficult or unusual cases assistance may be sought from the Health and Safety Section.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS. DSE – Display Screen Equipment VDU – Visual Display Unit VDT – Visual Display Terminal



ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS

Working with display screen equipment (DSE) www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf

Working with a display screen equipment

www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/126.pdf

NEELB Guidance on Risk Assessment HSE Checklist and a generic risk assessment

Page | 1

RISK ASSESSMENT

School: Activity: DisplayScreenEquipmentAssessment carried out by: Date: Date of Review:

What are the Hazards

Who might be harmed and how?

Existing Control Measures What are you already doing?

What further action is necessary?

Action by who? Action by when?

Completed

Desk–upperlimbdisordersChair‐aches,painsinshouldersandbackDisplayscreen–eyestrainandheadaches

Displayscreenuser

Displayscreenequipmentchecklistcarriedout–availableonNEELBwebpage. www.neelb.org.uk/schools/health‐and‐safety/

Amplespacetocarryoutwork,allowsforflexiblearrangements(spaceinfrontofkeyboardtosupporthands/wristduringpausesinkeying)

Sufficientheighttoallowposturalchanges

Chairisadjustable(seatbackandseatheightareadjustable)

Goodlumbarsupport Forearmisapproximately

horizontalandeyessameheightastopoftheVDU

Screenisadjustable Textlargeenoughtoread–sharp

andfocused Keyboardisuseable,adjustable,

detachableandlegible

Displayscreenequipmentchecklistcompleted

Page | 2

Mousewithineasyreachsoitcanbeusedwiththewriststraight.

Generalenvironment–headaches,upperlimbdisorder

Displayscreenuser

Equipmentlocatedawayfromglarefromwindows

Adequatelighting Goodposturepracticed Legroomandclearancetoallow

forchangesinposture‐moveboxesetc.frombelowdesk

Ensurescreensurfaceisclean RegulareyetestscontactHuman

ResourcesDepartmentfordetails Workpatterntobeconsidered

timespentatdeskshouldbenomorethan45minutesinanhourwithouttakinganaturalbreaktomoveaboutothertaskscanbecarriedoutsuchasfiling.

of 10

Health and Safety

Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist

Workstation location and number (if applicable): .............................................

User: .............................................

Checklist completed by: .............................................

Assessment checked by: .............................................

This is a web-friendly version of Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist published 05/13

Any further action needed: Yes/No

Follow-up action completed on:.............................................

The following checklist can be used to help you complete a risk assessment and comply with the Schedule to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002. The questions and ‘Things to consider’ in the checklist cover the requirements of the Schedule. If you can answer ‘Yes’ in the second column against all the questions, having taken account of the ‘Things to consider’, you are complying. You will not be able to address some of the questions and ‘Things to consider’, eg on reflections on the screen, or the user’s comfort, until the workstation has been installed. These will be covered in the risk assessment you do once the workstation is installed. Work through the checklist, ticking either the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ column against each risk factor:

■ ‘Yes’ answers require no further action. ■ ‘No’ answers will require investigation and/or remedial action by the workstation assessor. They should record their decisions in the ‘Action to take’ column. Assessors should check later that actions have been taken and have resolved the problem. Remember, the checklist only covers the workstation and work environment. You also need to make sure that risks from other aspects of the work are avoided, eg by giving users health and safety training, and providing for breaks or changes of activity. For more advice on these see Working with display screen equipment (DSE): A brief guide.

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Health and SafetyExecutive

Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist Page 8 of 10

Risk factors Tick answer

Things to consider Action to take

Yes No

6 Environment

Is there enough room to change position and vary movement?

Space is needed to move, stretch and fidget. Consider reorganising the office layout and check for obstructions. Cables should be tidy and not a trip or snag hazard.

Is the lighting suitable, eg not too bright or too dim to work comfortably?

Users should be able to control light levels, eg by adjusting window blinds or light switches. Consider shading or repositioning light sources or providing local lighting, eg desk lamps (but make sure lights don’t cause glare by reflecting off walls or other surfaces).

Does the air feel comfortable? DSE and other equipment may dry the air. Circulate fresh air if possible. Plants may help. Consider a humidifier if discomfort is severe.

Are levels of heat comfortable?

Can heating be better controlled? More ventilation or air conditioning may be required if there is a lot of electronic equipment in the room. Or, can users be moved away from the heat source?

Are levels of noise comfortable?

Consider moving sources of noise, eg printers, away from the user. If not, consider soundproofing.


Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist Page 9 of 10

7 Final questions to users...

■ Has the checklist covered all the problems they may have working with their DSE? ■ Have they experienced any discomfort or other symptoms which they attribute to working with their DSE? ■ Has the user been advised of their entitlement to eye and eyesight testing? ■ Does the user take regular breaks working away from DSE? Write down the details of any problems here:


Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist Page 10 of

Further information

Working with display screen equipmemt (DSE): A brief guide Leaflet INDG36(rev4) HSE books 2013 www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.htm For information about health and safety, or to report inconsistencies or inaccuracies in this guidance, visit www.hse.gov.uk/. You can view HSE guidance online and order priced publications from the website. HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops. © Crown copyright 2013 First published 2013 ISBN 978 0 7176 6521 1 You may reuse this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view the licence visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email [email protected]. Some images and illustrations may not be owned by the Crown so cannot be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be sent to [email protected]. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance.

display scree n equ - ea, north eastern region - … · · 2014-12-16area person general office...

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