DSE training - health and safety when using a computer
The phrase ‘Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Training’ could mean anything...some might even think it is something to do with fixing computers. But don’t be fooled by the words! Anyone who regularly uses a computer might need DSE training. DSE training should be carried out by anyone who regularly uses a computer.
In January 1993 The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 came into effect. The DSE regulations aim to protect regular uses of display screen equipment. The computer health and safety display screen regulations even apply to employees who work from home if they sit at a screen for a good part of their work.
Of course, using a screen should not be considered as really dangerous. In fact there has been a great deal of ICT health and safety studies carried out, for example into how a computer may affect eyesight, and the results show there’s no evidence that it causes disease or permanent damage to eyes. Most safety concerns to do with computers are to do with posture. A relatively high number of DSE workers, particularly those who haven’t carried out DSE training, complain about aches and pains, eyestrain and headaches.
Aches and pains from poor posture can affect the fingers, hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and backs. They are sometimes called repetitive strain injuries (RSI), and they are a type of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD). If nothing is done to help, and staff aren’t given DSE training, these aches and pains may well become serious. Poor typing position or bashing the keys too hard, not taking enough breaks and not changing task regularly are all possible factors in RSI type injuries and early action is important.
Headaches and eyestrain may be exacerbated by screen glare from a poorly positioned computer screen, incorrect contrast on the screen, screen characters which are too small or not in sharp focus or spending too long looking at the screen without a break. Stress can also lead to tension headaches.
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that although work-related MSDs are on the decrease, they still make up an alarming proportion of the work-related illnesses each year. In 2010/2011 nearly 1.2 million working people were suffering from a work-related illness and of these nearly half (508,000) were musculoskeletal disorders. MSDs are not only the result of computer use of course, other factors such as poor manual handling technique also plays a part.
Just a few simple adjustments may be all that’s needed to eliminate health concerns and meet display screen regulations. With good posture, a well laid-out and well-positioned workstation, regular breaks and, if possible, the ability to change or alternate tasks during the course of the day many of the problems will be alleviated.
For example, a few adjustments to seating and posture may stop that gradual build-up of pain across the shoulders, or in the small of the back. The chair should be stable and adjustable to create the correct height for the desk. The chair back should also tilt and adjust up and down to a position to support the small of the back securely. It’s a bit like getting into the driver’s seat of a car which has been driven by someone else - it needs to be adjusted for each driver before they start driving the car.
We tend to take for granted how we sit, but poor posture can have a huge effect on health and safety. It’s important to keep the curves in the back in alignment - that means no slumping, stretching or twisting - and this could mean rearranging the things on the desk and in the immediate vicinity to a more logical position (the things used most should be the easiest to get at). Again, comparing to the layout of a car - the positioning of everything around the driver has had a lot of thought put into it - everything is in easy reach - partially to avoid the driver looking away from the road but also to avoid awkward stretching - even the controls for the sound system are often duplicated on the steering wheel.
Perhaps, similar to a motorway ‘take a break’ should flash up at intervals on the computer screen of regular users!
There are many simple adjustments to a workday or to the set up of a workstation that can be made to help avoid the gradual build up of pain and tension. DSE training discusses these adjustments in further detail, and helps employers meet display screen equipment regulations. Choosing DSE training which ends with a DSE assessment will give employers proof of what their staff have learnt.
A concise, easy-to-follow, 30-minute DSE training course is available from The Interactive Health and Safety Company (iHasco). Visit their website and sample their Display Screen Equipment training programme, which includes a full personal DSE assessment.