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This month, PHSC
Environmental reports on the health and
safety of people who frequently use VDU equipment.
This is often a hidden risk within a motor vehicle
workshop, and one which could be most costly!
The main concern to workshop managers should be
regarding their civil liability, ie whether workers
are likely to make compensation claims for injuries
associated with VDUs. Some successful claims have
resulted in payouts exceeding ,100,000.
What are the risks of using
a VDU?
 RSI
There has been much debate over
recent years regarding health risks associated
with VDUs. The most widely reported risk is RSI
type injuries from over-use of the keyboard and
mouse. Vehicle repairers may be familiar with
these health symptoms in other parts of the workplace,
but not with office workers who have always been
considered to be working in a relatively safe
environment.
Musculo-skeletal disorders are commonly
reported by VDU users. These include backache,
stiff neck and shoulders and cramps in the fingers
and hands. Other symptoms of RSI-type conditions
include tingling sensations, sharp pains in the
arms and hands and loss of power or grip. These
conditions appear slowly over a period of time,
rather than occur overnight. The problem here
is that people don't notice that their discomfort
is slowly increasing until it becomes really problematic.
The main cause of these conditions
is undertaking repetitive tasks for prolonged
periods without taking any breaks or changes in
activity. The muscles and tendons become overloaded,
and over a period of time they will be damaged.
Poor posture whilst working is another significant
cause.
Eye
problems
People who use VDUs regularly often
complain of tired eyes, including deterioration
in focus, dryness in the eyes and general eye
discomfort. Other symptoms include headaches and
loss of concentration. This is caused by people
staring at a fixed distance for prolonged periods.
Their eye muscles become stiff and tired. Research
has proven that people also forget to blink as
frequently when they concentrate !
Radiation
Although this has become less of
a concern over recent years some workers are still
concerned that radiation is emitted from VDU screens.
People who are most likely to be concerned are
women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant
(ie that the radiation is damaging their baby,
or even their fertility). Research has shown that
this concern is unfounded and that the stress
of being exposed to a perceived risk is more of
a health concern than any radiation.
How are these caused?
These conditions are predominantly
caused by four main factors.
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Bad posture (people
sitting too low with their elbows below desk
height, slouching etc) |
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Poor workstation
layout ( where people are cramped, the desk
is too small to house the equipment or people
have to twist to reach the keyboard) |
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Poor job design
(where people work for too long at one task
without taking a break or doing something
else) |
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Stress (this is a contributory
factor because muscles and tendons become
tense when a person is stressed. |
What should be done to
reduce risk?
Risk assessment
These should be undertaken on a one to one basis,
and should take into account what the person uses
the VDU for, how often, for how long etc. They
should be recorded and kept updated. The assessment
should identify whether the user is comfortable
and able to work without risk to their health.
Eye tests
Employees who use VDUs frequently should be offered
an eye test at the company's expense, including
the basic cost of glasses where necessary.
Rest breaks
European and UK regulations require that changes
in activity or other forms of rest break are given
to VDU users. Staff who stop using the VDU to
complete another task such as answering the telephone
are deemed to have taken a 'break' from the VDU.
Information
Anyone who uses a VDU should be given information
about the hazards and risks, the company's procedures
for reporting problems etc,
Training
Anyone who is a VDU user should receive basic
training in how to sit properly, ensure a suitable
workstation layout, incorporate breaks into the
work schedule, report problems etc.
Furniture
Provide suitable furniture that is big enough
to accommodate the VDU equipment and enable the
worker to undertake their paper-work tasks. The
chair is extremely important, and should be adjustable
enough to enable sufficient comfort and lumbar
support. A chair should have a five leg base and
ideally be on casters (unless the worksurface
makes this unsafe).
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Question:
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Recently
one of our office staff said that she thought
she was entitled to an eyesight test at our
expense. Is this true? |
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Answer: |
Yes - if they are an employee (as opposed
to a temporary or contract worker) and if
a significant part of their work involves
use of a VDU. Both criteria must be met
for a worker to be entitled. A 'Significant'
use has been given a number of definitions,
the mostly commonly used ones are whether
they have continuous use of a VDU for periods
exceeding one hour, or if their work is
reliant upon use of a VDU.
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Question:
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What
do we have to pay for regarding eye tests
and glasses? |
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Answer: |
If
an employee has been defined as a 'user' (see
question above) then you have to pay for a
full eye test, and retest when required. This
is generally accepted by opticians as being
every two years, although you may need to
review this if someone is reporting problems
to you and requests a retest before the two
yearly interval. With regard to glasses,
you have to pay for the price of a basic
frame and lense (approximately ,40-,50)
but only if they are specifically for VDU
use. People who wear glasses as part of
every day use, or for reading, are not entitled
to this. You may require the optician to
formally confirm that the prescription is
VDU specific, before allocating the allowance
to the employee. |
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Question:
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What
is a VDU risk assessment, and when should
this be undertaken? |
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Answer: |
A VDU risk assessment should be undertaken
of each individual user at their own workstation.
The assessment should be recorded and monitored.
Because these are one-to-one assessments
they are quite time consuming, but necessary
in order to reduce the risk of compensation
claims. Each assessment can take between
15-45 minutes. The assessment should consider
factors such as how people sit, whether
there is enough space, whether the distance
between the user and the screen is adequate
and for how long the user spends at any
one time using the keyboard or mouse. Assessments
need to be reviewed when:
- there is a change in the user
- problems are reported by the user
- there has been a significant change
in the equipment, furniture or environment
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