Transcript Document

Working Safely With Display
Screen Equipment
Mark Mallen
Health And Safety Manager
Fenlock-Hansen Ltd
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Please

Switch off or place on silent
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Introduction
DSE?
 Why am I here?

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Course Content
Legal framework
 Hazards and potential health effects
 Users and those at risk
 Setting up workstations
 Using the workstation
 Exercises
 Summary

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Legal Framework

The Health and Safety (Display Screen
Equipment) Regulations 1992
– the ‘VDU Regs’
– Part of the ‘six pack’
– Aim of preventing ill health
– Imposes legal responsibilities and duties
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Legal Framework

Employers’ Duties
– Assess risks
– Provide a healthy workplace
– Ensure workstations comply
– Eyesight tests
– Provide information, instruction and
training
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Legal Framework

Employees’ duties
– Follow the rules
– Work safely
– Report problems
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Hazards And Potential Health
Effects

Hazards
– Poor posture
– Too long
– Poor working environment
– Poor management of workload
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Hazards And Potential Health
Effects

Potential health effects
– Visual discomfort
 Sore
 Irritated
 Tired
– Headaches
– Upper limb disorders
– Aches and pains
– Stress
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Vision
Eyesight gradually worsens with age
 Contact lenses

– A dry atmosphere
– Blinking less
Use the Hansen Eyecare scheme
 Report problems
 Seek medical advice
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Musculoskeletal

General fatigue, aches and pains
– Workstation problem
– May indicate other problems
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Musculoskeletal

Many musculoskeletal disorders start
with
– Numbness
– Tingling
– Aching hands, fingers or limbs
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Musculoskeletal

Long term
– Problems may get worse
Don’t leave things
 If you suffer discomfort

– Report it

Seek medical advice asap
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Common Misconceptions
Do not give off harmful radiation
 Cause complications during pregnancy

– Source: national radiological protection
board
Unlikely to induce epileptic seizures or
fits
 Discuss concerns with your doctor
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Common Misconceptions

Eyesight
– Do not damage eyesight
– Any concerns

Seek advice
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Users and Those at Risk

Defined as
– Have no alternative
– Need significant training or particular skills
– Continuous spells of an hour or more
– Use the equipment most days
– Have to input data quickly or accurately
– Need high levels of concentration or
undertake critical work
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Users

Hansen define regular users as
– Either at least one-hour continuous work
or
– Two hours accumulatively
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Risk low if users follow safe working
procedures
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High Risk Users
Working all day with a screen
 Inputting
 Word processing
 A computer aided design (CAD)
operator
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Moderate Risk Users

A secretary or personal assistant
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Low Risk Users
 A salesperson
that inputs daily
sales figures
 Somebody that does not use a
DSE every day
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Not Users
 A senior
manager who uses the
screen for brief enquiries
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Not Users
 A receptionist,
who occasionally,
interrogates a system
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Assessing the Risk
– Assess each workstation
– Trained assessors
– Standard pro forma
– ‘Ergonomic approach’
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Setting Up Workstations
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Ergonomics
– Adapting the task to fit the worker
– Adjust and use the equipment in an
ergonomic way
No single, perfect workstation
 Adjusted to individual’s requirements
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The Workstation
The chair
 A footrest (if required)
 HIDs
 The display screen
 The worktop
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The Workstation
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A properly adjusted workstation
– Comfortable and pleasant to use
– Prevents ill health
– May increase productivity
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Posture and Seating

Working in an awkward position

Short term
– Aches, pains and fatigue

Long term harm
– Strain on joints and muscles
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Seat Height and Tilt
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Height
– Forearms horizontal with the keyboard
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Tilt (if fitted)
– Thighs horizontal
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Seat Height and Tilt
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Feet flat on the floor or footrest
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Weight on buttocks
– Not thighs
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Back Support
Should fit the curve of the spine
 Adjust the angle (if possible)
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– Upright posture
– Erect head and relaxed shoulders
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Varying position helps avoid stiffness
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Arm Rests
Personal preference
 May be beneficial
 Should not interfere with keying
 Should allow the chair under the desk
 Not a legal requirement
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Chair Position
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Allow room
– Prevent stiffness
Do not store items under the desk
 If the desk is not height adjustable
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– Set the chair for the best keyboard height
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Posture and Seating
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In summary
– Head up
– Back straight
– Lower back supported
– Shoulders back
– Forearms level with the desk
– Wrists relaxed
– Feet flat on the floor or on the footrest
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Keyboard
Directly in front of the user
 Gap to rest the heels of the hands
 Fingers comfortably on the keys
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– Adjust the angle of slope
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Position devices
– Do not stretch too far
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‘Mouse Work’
Comfortable and convenient position
 Move keyboard until it is required
 Device used most often to the front
 Adjust the controls to personal
preference
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Keyboard and Mouse Work
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Caution, with extreme concentration
– Users may become fixated
– Ignore arm and hand position
– Causing cramp and wrist strain
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The Display Screen
Adjust to suit workplace lighting
 Moving the screen may eliminate
reflection
 Check the screen for glare or
reflections
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The Display Screen

Glare
– Can be irritating
– Cause eye fatigue
– Force users to adopt awkward postures
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The Display Screen
Face the screen looking slightly down
 The top of the screen slightly below
eye height
 Viewing distance between 350mm and
750mm
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The Display Screen
Tilted at right angles to the line of sight
 Check refresh rate, 80hz
 Adjust the brightness and contrast
 Re-adjust if light levels change
 Large screens need more desk
space,readjust
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The Display Screen

Keep the screen clean
– Degrades the image
– Highlights glare
– May make reasonably positioned screen
difficult to use
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Glare Filters
Can reduce reflections
 May affect quality
 Use where moving a screen or light
source cannot reduce glare
 Should only be used as a last resort
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Housekeeping
Everything within easy reach
 Stretching or reaching can cause
stress and strain
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Housekeeping
Keep cables under control to prevent
tripping
 Store work and personal items out of
the way
 Keep the work area free from clutter
 Keep papers under control on the desk
 A tidy desk is a healthy desk
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Adjusting Workstations

Ideal position
– Display screen and keyboard
– Directly in front of the user
Some tasks require more space in
front
 Some touch typists prefer a document
holder

– Prevents users frequently moving their
heads
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Using the Workstation
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The risks from using DSE
– Working for too long in one position
– Working with a poor posture
– Working for too long without a break
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Most at Risk
Inputting large amounts of data within
limited time scales
 Data input clerks
 Word processor operators
 CAD operators
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Reducing the Risk
Regularly change posture
 Manage the workload
 Take regular breaks
 About 5-10 minutes in every hour
 Break up the screen work throughout
the day
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Reducing the Risk
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Guidance from the regulations
– Breaks of 5 - 10 minutes, every 50 - 60
minutes
– Frequent short breaks
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If not
– Change position regularly
– Stand
– Flex your body
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Reducing the Risk

Maintain a good working environment
– Reasonable temperature
– Acceptable humidity
– Reasonably well ventilated
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Exercises to Prevent Aches
and Pains

Seek medical advice
– before starting any exercise
– or if you have a medical condition

Stop if you experience any pain
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Exercises To Prevent Aches
And Pains

Warm up
– Flex the fingers and wrist
– Rub your hands together to warm up the
muscles
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Eyes
– Regularly look away from the screen
– At objects in the far distance
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Exercises to Prevent Aches
and Pains
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Neck
– Face straight ahead, slowly turn the head
one way then the other
– Roll your head from side to side
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Shoulders
– Shrug the shoulders and release
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Exercises to Prevent Aches
and Pains
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Arms
– Raise arms over head and stretch

Back
– Move slightly forward on the chair
– Straighten up, raising chest up and out
– Hold for a few seconds, and then relax
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Exercises to Prevent Aches
and Pains

Wrists and hands
– Flex and rotate the wrists
– Spread the fingers as wide as possible
and hold for a few seconds

Repeat a few times
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Remember
These exercises can be undertaken at
the workstation
 Without much effort
 Will help to keep joints and muscles
loose and flexible
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In Summary
Health effects biggest issue
 Ill health can be minimised
 Set up the workstation properly
 Organise the work
 Vision problems or headaches

– Ask for an eye test
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In Summary
Take exercise
 Stillness is our enemy
 Report problems
 Better to deal with ‘aches and pains’
than ill-health issues
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Working Safely With Display
Screen Equipment
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Thanks for listening
– Any questions

Be safe
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