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Do employers care much about the risks that users of display screen equipment (DSE) face in their
everyday use of computers?
By: Ergonomist Duncan Abbott, who specialises in redesigning workspaces and job tasks to improve comfort
and safety, and to increase productivity.
Well, the answer should be yes! We have legislation in the UK to ensure that all DSE users are protected from
the risk of identified hazards, and for those with a recognised disability, employers must make reasonable
adjustments to comply with both health and safety regulations and the
Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
Health and Safety law in this country since 1992 has adopted a risk assessment approach, which is in line with
European legislation.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1992) requires all employers to
undertake a risk assessment for all work undertaken, and this requirement can be found in the other five pieces
of the six pack regulation that is the backbone of health and safety legislation in the UK.
(
European Health & Safety Agency at work)
The Management of H&S Regulations (1992) makes it clear that H&S should involve co-operation between management
and staff. For staff to carry out their responsibilities they require training and information about
ergonomics and H&S that relate to DSE workstations. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
(PUWER 1998)
requires employers to ensure that work equipment is suitable for the purpose for which it is
to be used.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (1992)
require employers to take into account
employees with special needs and to avoid discomfort and to promote well-being. For example, the employer must
provide special seating for workers who find it difficult to adjust their chairs due to poor chair-design or
employee condition.
The main emphasis of this article will focus on the DSE Regulations, but it is important to note that the
Management and Health at Work Regulations (1992) require employers to:
- Provide health surveillance where appropriate (Regulation 5)
- Provide adequate H&S training to employees on recruitment and on exposure to new or increased risks
due to change of work responsibilities or the introduction of new equipment, new technology or systems of work
(Regulation 11).
The DSE regulations seek to reduce the H&S risks from using DSE. They set out minimum requirements for the
workstation and are broken down into regulations, some of which are expanded below.
- Regulation 2 requires employers to make suitable and sufficient analysis of workstations and
assess for problems described as musculoskeletal or postural problem, visual, fatigue and mental stress.
Any risk found must be minimised to the lowest extent possible.
- Regulation 3 requires employers to ensure that the workstation meets a minimum standard.
- Regulation 4 requires that the employer organise DSE work to be interrupted by breaks or changes
in activity which reduces the DSE workload, as it is the nature and mix of the demand made by a job
that determines the length of break to prevent fatigue. The most important obligation is to ensure that
the use of DSE does not pose a risk for the health of the user.
- Regulation 6 requires that the employer must provide H&S training.
- Regulation 7 concerns the provision of information to the DSE user of the risks associated with
the type of work they are undertaking.
The DSE regulations (
updated
in 2002 under Miscellaneous Amendments)
require that all DSE users are trained in
the safe use of their work equipment, and that all workstations have been assessed. For many companies the
lack of trained assessors means compliance with this can only be achieved by using software or self-filled-out
forms, so many people conduct a self-assessment and complete records on-screen or in hard copy. Often, such
self-assessment tests have not been adjusted to meet the wider needs of all employees, including staff who
may have a variety of impairments or disabilities.
A standard DSE checklist is designed to ensure that basic musculoskeletal disorders caused by repetitive
actions, poor posture or visual difficulties are avoided. While 70 per cent of disabled people have become
disabled during their working lives, an increasing numbers of rehabilitated workers are now returning. We also
have an ageing society with increasing expectations, and an awareness of the need to be vigilant in our
working environment.
Often overlooked, particularly in offices and light industrial work environments, is compliance with the
Manual Handling Regulations (1992).
For all employees that have to lift or handle materials an assessment should be
made. The employee should be given guidance on how to handle and move loads to prevent poor posture or injury,
including handling items when seated.
Is there inadequate research to allow them to protect their employees from injury?
Work imposes stresses that cause long term damage to body tissues and structures, particularly to muscles,
tendons, ligaments and nerves, which can result in pain, discomfort and injury. Research has shown that
causation mechanisms of such disorders are highly complex and involve many different factors (psychological,
organisational and physical), so any investigation must look at the breaks between task cycle and between
working periods.
Risks associated with computer work are:
- Static muscle loading - this describes muscle activity that focuses on maintaining a certain posture
or position involving little or no movement. It can occur in a variety of body areas unless breaks or
changes of activity occur. Computer work tends to generate such problems.
- Overuse and repetition - repetitive tasks, performed continuously without sufficient breaks or changes
in activity, will place demands on specific structures and result in a risk of injury.
- Stress - this can cause increased muscle tension and general sensitising of the nervous system,
which can lead to an increased perception of pain and so has been recognized as an important contributor
to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
What should employers do to protect their employees?
Employers must look at ways to prevent or manage musculoskeletal injuries resulting from computer use, and
should be educated to understand the risks that face their workers, in this case computer users. The Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) has produced a number of
publications, many of which are free, to help employers comply
with current Health and Safety regulations and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
The HSE is now placing ergonomics as a central tenet in its struggle to reduce workplace injury, and expects
employers to be more proactive. There is evidence of the effectiveness of the ergonomic approach for locating
risk factors and devising prevention measures. This approach focuses on the identification and evaluation of
risk factors in the task, equipment, work environment and work organisation. Strategies to prevent low back
disorders include both workplace-based and healthcare-based interventions.
There have been a number of cases where individuals have sued their employers, and often courts have placed the
onus on the employer to prove that they have managed the risks that their workers are exposed to, and
eradicated the hazard. If the employer is not able to prove this, the worker invariably wins the claim. Given
the current climate of litigation, employers should be highly motivated to prevent their workers exposure to
hazards.
Employers should make greater use of using ergonomic guidelines; for example, when specifying office furniture,
it is sensible to follow these if they are to avoid purchasing unsuitable furniture. An international standard
that can be of help is
ISO 9241-5 'Workstation and Postural Requirements'.
The standard details ergonomic
guidelines for users of workstations and provides advice on how to achieve a good fit between worker and
task by breaking down the items and the requirements necessary for this to be achieved. Workstation
recommendations are to some extent based on anthropometric data (the measurement of dimensions of the human
body) but behavioral patterns of people and specific requirements must also be considered.
An organisation's assessors should receive training in disability awareness and be provided with a framework
by which to understand the different impairments - sensory (visual and hearing), cognitive (dyslexia, memory,
attention) and physical (Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, etc) which may impact upon both the demands
placed on the workspace and the technology within it.
Making reasonable adjustments is not just a way of reducing the risk of MSDs and repetitive strain injuries -
it also prevents any aggravation of existing conditions or impairments. In many circumstances, the ability of
any individual can be enhanced using assistive technology or by making a relatively minor adjustment. Therefore,
there should be no reason for disability to be in conflict with good health and safety practices, which should
have the flexibility to cater for a wide diversity in user needs.
Posture
Computer users and back pain
The cause of backache in DSE users can be affected by age, fitness, smoking, bad working habits, stress,
muscular tension and poor posture. Small stresses and strains can accumulate. Functional (product of the way
we live and function in daily life) low back pain is primarily caused by prolonged sitting and poor posture.
If a DSE user sits for eight hours with eyes focused down, this can lead to a greater than normal load on the
cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal areas.
Many computer users, in particular 'techies', slouch forward, which results in nearly double the amount of
pressure on the discs as when in a standing position. Even sitting upright is counterproductive to good
posture and a healthy back, as muscles will eventually fatigue, the shoulders slouching forward causing the
head and eye level to drop.
The weight-bearing load of poor posture alignment causes a shift from the supporting musculature to the
intervertebral discs. The main function of the intervertebral disc, a gel-like substance located between
two vertebrae, is to resist compression. Therefore any degeneration of the lumbar discs reduces the stability
of the lumbar spine. A high biomechanical demand on such an unstable lumbar spine leads to a high demand on
the ligament and muscular structures.
The spine is not designed to bear prolonged loads of weight in a static position, which can cause future
complications to the spinal column to develop. Sitting in a chair for hours can cause, hip, leg and back
muscles to become stagnant and promote muscle tightness in conjunction with abdominal weakness.
Postures adopted by the DSE user that must be corrected are:
- Forward inclination of the trunk, when the head is difficult for the small neck muscles to support;
- A twisted, asymmetrical posture can cause wear and tear in the joints and muscles; and
- Static postures can lead to muscles contracting, which may lead to neck and muscle pain.
Alternatives to using the mouse
There are a number of alternatives to using the mouse; some of these are free and can be downloaded from the
Internet. Mousetool is a piece of
shareware (give a small donation) that can be programmed to double click
when the mouse is positioned over a clickable zone. For full details of mouse and keyboard alternatives, visit:
www.tifaq.com.
Although not yet a mature technology, speech recognition holds tremendous potential as a partial replacement
for the keyboard and mouse. Nevertheless, many individuals who switch to speech use it inefficiently, have to
give up on it altogether and may even develop permanent vocal injuries. Common shortfalls in planning and
implementation, and unrealistic expectations about the technology's capabilities contribute to these risks.
Alternative computer interfaces
Different types of computer interfaces exist, but the issue really is to do with the user's interaction with
the computer, using keyboard and non-keyboard input devices. Therefore the issue is to examine the reduction
of physical activity in interacting with these devices.
Ergonomic perspective
Can the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders be prevented? Based on scientific literature, the answer is 'yes',
but there is no one-size-fits-all that every business can adopt, or that would apply to every worker. The
Occupational Health and Safety Authority
(OSHA)
(the American equivalent of the HSE) provides the following guidelines
for what's included in a successful ergonomic program:
- Management leadership - Assign responsibility for ergonomics to designated managers, who must
communicate policies and practices to employees;
- Employee participation - Ensure that employees are aware of ergonomics requirements and have ways to
report musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) symptoms and hazards;
- Musculoskeletal disorder management - Talk to employees in a job suspected of causing MSDs, and
observe employees performing the job to uncover risk factors; and
- Job-hazard reduction measures: If a job is found to cause MSDs, employers must 'control MSD hazards or
reduce MSD hazards'.
Final words
A common approach is needed for all musculoskeletal problems in the workplace. In this context, it is helpful
to view the risks in terms of combined 'overload' on the musculoskeletal system. Employers should pay attention
to the risk factors detailed in the DSE Regulations (1992, 2002) when making an assessment, and selecting
prevention measures for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders should form part of employers'
overall prevention plan for all health and safety risks. The cost benefits of ergonomic intervention, in general
far outweigh the costs of non-intervention.
Practical tips
- If your task requires multi-tasking, then request a telephone headset This will avoid the need
to adopt awkward postures like cradling phone between neck and shoulder, as this can increase
stress to the full length of the spine
- Sort out the desk area if you multi-task, creating an area for admin/writing and an area for
computing. Avoid twisting - aim to adopt a symmetrical posture where no force is impacting on the
spine
- When writing there is a tendency to lean over the desk; this can be avoided by using a writing-slope,
or, if these are unavailable, use a lever arch folder. This will allow you to sit upright and avoid
stress on the lower and upper back
- Right hand mouse users normally have their right upper limb about 30 degrees out of line with the
shoulders; this adds stress to the upper limb and shoulder, and up into the neck. But often the
pelvis is twisted as the left side of the body slight swivels, again increasing the spinal loading.
To overcome this, a small keyboard will allow the upper limbs to stay in line with the shoulders.
However, men who are broad at the shoulder may require the longer keyboard, as a smaller keyboard may cause their
right shoulder to rotate inwards.
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Sources of further information
Upper limb disorders in the workplace HSG60 (second edition) HSE Books 2002 ISBN 0 7176 1978 8
HSE's website:
www.hse.gov.uk/msd
gives a lot of information on musculoskeletal injuries.
Where to get financial help - Access to Work Scheme
Access to Work is a Jobcentre Plus initiative, which helps people overcome the practical problems caused by
disability. It offers advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to meet the additional needs of an
individual in a particular job. The programme can include the provision of special aids to employment, adaptation
to premises, equipment and vehicles, support worker and assistance to/from work.
Access to Work provides grants for employers in the following range:
| Less than £300
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Nil
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| £300 and £10,000
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80 per cent of cost
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| Over £10,000
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80% of the cost between £300 and £10, 000
and 100% of the cost over £10,000
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Full details can be found at
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Duncan Abbott MSc works with a wide range of organisations in redesigning workspaces and job tasks to improve
comfort and safety, and to increase productivity. He also provides training in office and industrial ergonomics.
For more information,
tel: 01747 871868, or
e-mail: da@enricosmog.com or,
website: www.enricosmog.com
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