1. Introduction

1.1 Visual display units (VDU) may appear harmless enough,
but as many office workers know, used incorrectly they can cause suffering.

1.2 Headaches, eyestrain and aches and pains in your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and back can also result from workstations that are not properly designed or used. This procedure is designed to assist factories in designing workstations to avoid these problems by ensuring equipment and workstations are used correctly.

2. Definitions

2.1 Display Screen Equipment
Includes personal computers, word processors and screens. It is not just the screen which presents a risk, the keyboard, desk and even the chair need to be considered when organising a safe working environment.

2.2 User
A display screen "user" is someone who habitually uses display screen equipment for the purposes of an employers undertaking as a significant part of their normal work.

2.3 Operator
A display screen "operator" is a self employed person or contractor who habitually operates the machine on behalf of an organisation who may not necessarily be their employer.

2.4 Workstation
The term used to cover the display screen equipment, accessories (such as copy reader, wrist rest), disk drive, printers, desk, chair and the immediate work environment around the display screen equipment.

3. Are all "users/operators" at risk?

3.1 No. Not if the "workstation" is properly designed and if the work routine is adequately organised.

4. So what are the risks?

4.1 These will depend on the particular work environment; for some workplaces, or some jobs, the risks will be greater than for others. For this reason under the regulations all employers are required to make a risk assessment in their workplace.

5. VDU Risk Assessment

5.1 The Group believes that the "user/operator" is best placed to complete the assessment and has provided a self assessment form for the purpose (see 04.30.RC). The assessment has been designed to control, eliminate or significantly reduce any risks that are found.

6. Other duties

6.1 In addition to conducting a risk assessment management are also obliged to complete the following:

i) plan work so there are breaks or changes of activity;

ii) arrange free eye and eye sight testing, on request, and provide special corrective appliances as required;

iii) provide health and safety training;

iv) provide information.

7. Seating and Posture

7.1 An important part of any workstation is the user/operator's chair. It must be stable, and must allow for ease of movement into a comfortable position.

7.2 The chair must be height and tilt adjustable.

7.3 A foot rest must be provided where the feet do not fit flat on the floor. This will help to reduce excess pressure on the lower back, legs and knees. In addition, the back of the chair needs to be adjustable to provide lumbar support.

7.4 In general terms the "user/operator's" arms need to be more or less horizontal, the eyes at approximately the same height as the top of the VDU casing.

8. The Desk

8.1 In general terms the desk may need to be larger than one used for non screen work.

8.2 Adequate space needs to be provided to support the hands and for the storage of work materials. Adequate space needs to be provided under the desk to allow the free movement of legs.

9. Hands and Wrists

9.1 When "users/operators" are working with a VDU, it is important that the employee is able to locate and activate the keys on the keyboard quickly, accurately and without discomfort.

9.2 It may be necessary to support the wrists and hands with a wrist support, these are sometimes built into the keyboard or may be provided separately.

10. Recommended keyboard technique

10.1 When the "user/operators" are actually working on the keyboard, they should be discouraged from bending hands up at the wrists, encouraged to use a soft touch on the keys and not to overstretch the fingers. Good keyboard techniques now may help prevent injuries later.

11. Eye and eyesight

11.1 Advice provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), suggests that work with display screens is unlikely to cause permanent eye or eye sight damage. Nevertheless poor working conditions can cause visual fatigue (tired eyes) and headaches, and can increase stress. The regulations provide that "users/operators" have the right to an appropriate eye and eye sight test both when they start using the equipment and at regular intervals as specified by an optician.

11.2 If the eyesight test reveals that spectacles are required to carry out the work, and if normal ones are not suitable, then the employer has to provide them free of charge.

11.3 The employer is free to specify the professional or company to be used to complete the eye testing and provide the appliances.

12. Glare

12.1 Headaches and eye strain might be caused by glare or reflections on the screen. This does not necessarily mean there is anything wrong with the screen or that a screen filter is required to block out the glare. Usually the problem can be solved by re- arranging the desk so the bright lights are not reflected onto the screen or by adjusting the blinds.

13. Work Planning

13.1 However new and well designed the work equipment, the key to safety is really in how you put it to use. Once the work station has been organised, taking into account things like space, lighting, glare, noise, heat and other factors which may affect comfort, the next step is to organise the working day in such a way as to minimise risks to health.

14. Work Breaks

14.1 Under the regulations, employers also have a duty to provide breaks or changes of activity so that employees can rest their eyes and hands, depending on the type of work being completed. These breaks can be to complete other tasks such as filing etc.

15. Length of Breaks

15.1 The regulations do not provide specific information on the timing or length of breaks, as a general rule they should preferably be little and often rather than long and infrequent. In other words, a five to ten minute break after an hour of continuous keyboard work is better than a fifteen minute break every two hours.

15.2 Some computer packages are provided pre programmed to stop working after a certain length of time, but it is generally felt that the exact timing of work breaks should be left to the "user/operators" discretion.

15.3 Regular breaks are extremely important, the option of taking fewer breaks and going home earlier is not an option the Group is prepared to support. An employees' health could suffer as a result.

15.4 Advice provided by the HSE is that jobs should be designed so employees have a variety of screen based and non screen based work to carry out during the day.

16. Training and Information

16.1 As with all work activity, adequate training for "operators/users" is essential. The best kind of safety training is incorporated into general job training.

17. Final Points

17.1 Once the workstation is in good order, and the working day has been organised to accommodate work breaks or changes of activity, ensure the following points are observed.

i) The characters on the screen must not flicker.

ii) VDU screens must be kept clean and free from dirt, grime and finger marks which might distort the image.

iii) Use the brightness controls on the screen to suit the lighting conditions of the room.

iv) Make use of equipment such as window blinds.

18. Eye sight testing and special corrective appliances

18.1 Group has adopted the Eye Care Voucher scheme in the provision of eye sight testing and issue of special corrective appliances.

Tel: 0171 834 7066

18.2 Users and operators who meet the above criteria are entitled to an eye sight test from a participating optician, and if necessary special corrective appliances to the value of £45.

The cost of all additional refinements to the special corrective appliances
e.g. bi or vari focal or tints will be met by the user/operator in full.