Health & safety: Screen test

Those who work for long periods on display screen equipment may suffer from problems such as eye-strain, musculo-skeletal problems or stress. By carrying out proper assessment of workstations, the potential for these problems can be identified and appropriate steps taken to prevent them occurring.

Definitions
Display screen equipment (DSE): any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved.

All types of display device are included, both conventional (cathode ray tube) displays and other display process such as liquid crystal displays, etc. Display screens mainly used to display line drawings, graphs, charts or computer generated graphics are included, but screens whose main use is to show television or film pictures are not. For example, microfiche readers are included in this definition.

Where workstations involve the use of mixed media, judgement as to whether they will be included in the definition of display screen equipment must be based upon their main use.

User: an employee who habitually uses display screen equipment as a significant part of his/ her normal work. This includes any people employed as home workers. Any employee using a display screen more or less continuously on most days is a 'user'. So, normally, will those who:

• use a display screen for continuous spells of an hour or more at a time
• use it in this way more or less daily
• are highly dependent on display screens or have little choice about using them
• have to transfer information quickly to or from the screen
• need to apply high levels of attention or concentration
• need special training or skills to use the equipment.

Operator: any self-employed person who habitually uses display screen equipment as a significant part of his/her normal work.

Workstation comprises:

• display screen equipment, whether or not provided with software or keyboard
• any optional accessories to the display screen equipment
• any disk drive, telephone, modem, printer, document holder, work chair, work desk, work surface or other item peripheral to the display screen equipment
• the immediate work environment around the display screen equipment

Corrective appliances: spectacles or contact lenses worn to correct vision defects. 'Special' corrective appliances (normally spectacles) are those prescribed to correct vision defects at the viewing distance or distances used specifically for the display screen work involved. Anti-glare screens, 'VDU spectacles' and other devices that claim to protect against radiation are not special corrective appliances.

'Normal' corrective appliances are spectacles or contact lenses provided for ordinary use.

Legal requirements
Employers' duties: employers are responsible for carrying out workstation assessments and providing all relevant training, eye and eyesight tests, etc. for all their employees who are display screen equipment users. This includes home workers.

For employees who are employed by one employer and work at another employer's workstation, for example, secretarial agency employees, there will be shared responsibilities between the employers. The employer who provides the workstation will be responsible for:

• workstation assessment and layout
• daily work routine
• training specific to the use of the workstation
• provision of information

The employee's own employer will be responsible for:

• eye and eyesight tests
• general health and safety training on the use of display screen equipment

Employers must also carry out assessments for workstations used by self-employed staff.

Where display screen equipment is in use, but is not covered by the Display Screen Equipment Regulations, other general health and safety legislation will apply, for example, requirements for general risk assessment and provision of training and information in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; and workstation requirements under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Workstation assessment: all employers must carry out analysis to assess the health and safety risks of workstations on which they employ people to work as users, or which they provide for the use of self-employed operators on their behalf. This assessment must be reviewed if there is any reason to suspect that it is no longer valid or if there has been a significant change which could affect it.

Workstation standards: employers must ensure that all workstations used on their behalf by users or operators meet standards set out in relation to:

• lighting
• reflections and glare
• noise
• space and layout
• display screen equipment, including software, screen and keyboard
• work surface
• chair

Work routine: employers are responsible for ensuring that the work routine of users who work on display screen equipment is structured to allow for periodic breaks from screen work.

Eye and eyesight tests: employers must ensure that employees who so request are provided with appropriate eye and eyesight tests before becoming display screen users. In addition, tests must be provided if a user experiences visual difficulties which could be caused by work on display screen equipment.

These tests should be repeated periodically. Where tests identify that an employee needs special corrective eyewear for work on the display screen equipment, the employer must ensure that this is provided.

These requirements apply only in respect of an employer's own employees, not in respect of other persons' employees (for example, agency temps) or self-employed people working on their behalf. Employees cannot be made to take tests against their will.

Training and information: employers must ensure that all display screen users working in their business are provided with adequate health and safety training and information for the use of their workstations.

While self-employed operators are responsible for their own training, they must be provided with relevant information about any equipment and software which they are using as part of someone else's business.

Action points
Workstation assessments: need to analyse the layout and situation of the workstation, the equipment used and the type of work performed. This needs to be carried out for each workstation used for the business by workers who are classified as users or operators.

The assessment must identify where workers are at risk from the use of their workstations. Information from users themselves is also an essential part of an assessment. This can be obtained by asking users to complete an ergonomic checklist or a questionnaire relating to their comfort.

It is important that all workers who are asked to complete checklists or questionnaires are given adequate training to understand what is being asked of them.

The main types of risk relate to physical problems such as poor posture, awkward or repetitive movements, etc, and visual fatigue.

The principal areas which must be assessed are equipment:

• display screen equipment and keyboard
• desk or work surface
• chair
• software
• suitability for task
• ease of use
• adaptability to the needs of user

The interface between the user and the equipment:

• display of information
• feedback given to user

Environment:

• space
• lighting
• reflections and glare
• noise
• heat
• radiation
• humidity

Task design:

• degree of user control over tasks
• variety of work
• opportunity for breaks from screen use

Reducing risks
Problems identified by risk assessments must be investigated and remedial action taken.

In typical applications, such as computer workstations in offices, action will be fairly simple, for example, Postural problems:

• reposition equipment to ensure good working posture
• adjust chair
• provide footrest or document holder
• reinforce training on posture, hand position and adjustment of equipment

Visual problems:

• move screen to a more comfortable distance
• eliminate glare by repositioning screen or using blinds
• change lighting provision in vicinity of workstation

Fatigue and stress:

• ensure good training in use of software
• allow user a degree of control over work pace and nature of tasks, if possible
• deal with other workstation problems

Recording assessments
The findings of assessments need to be recorded and kept readily accessible in order to ensure continuity and accuracy among those dealing with the control of risks, supervision of users etc. Records may simply be in the form of completed assessment checklists and may be either paper or electronic.

It will not always be necessary to record the findings of display screen equipment assessments, i.e. in the simplest and most obvious cases which can easily be repeated. This could apply if no significant risks are found and no individual user is identified as being at risk.

Assessors: generally, display screen assessments can be carried out by trained staff from within a business. Those who carry out workstation assessments should:

• know about risks from the workstation and the type of work being performed
• draw upon additional sources of information as required
• draw valid and reliable conclusions from the assessment
• make a clear record of the assessment and communicate the findings to those who need to take action
• recognise their own limitations so that further expertise can be called on if necessary.

Review of assessment
It is necessary to review assessments in the light of changes affecting their validity, for example:

• change in the software used
• change in the hardware (screen, keyboard, input devices, etc.)
• change in the workstation furniture
• substantial increase in the amount of time spent using display screen equipment
• substantial change in other aspects of the task (for example, greater speed or accuracy)
• relocation of the workstation
• significant changes to the lighting in the area of the workstation