DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS 1992 IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE FOR MANAGERS HEALTH & SAFETY UNIT SUMMER TERM 2012
CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION... 1 2 RESPONSIBILITIES FOR COMPLIANCE... 1 3 WHAT IS DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT?... 1 4 RISKS FROM USING DISPLAY SCREENS... 1 5 WHO IS A DISPLAY SCREEN USER?... 2 6 ASSESSMENT OF WORKSTATIONS... 2 7 TRAINING AND INFORMATION... 3 8 EYES AND EYESIGHT TESTS... 3 9 STUDENTS... 3 10 SUMMARY... 3 APPENDIX A... 5 IMPLEMENTATION OF DISPLAY SCREEN REGULATIONS 5
1 INTRODUCTION The Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992 came into force on 1 January 1993. The Regulations require every employer to analyse each workstation for assessing the risks to the health and safety of users. 2 RESPONSIBILITIES FOR COMPLIANCE Heads of Department have specific duties and responsibilities with regard to the health, safety and welfare of staff within their department. These duties and responsibilities are detailed in the University health and safety policy and the practical guide for senior staff entitled Whose Responsibility is it Anyway and should be consulted where necessary. Therefore, in practical terms the responsibility for complying with the University statutory obligation to discharge these duties at departmental level lies with each Head. This practical guide, linked to training, advice and support from the Health and Safety Unit, will assist the Head of Department in discharging their duty under the DSE Regulations. Heads may of course obtain assistance when discharging these duties from senior members of their department. In many instances, departments have formalised this assistance by appointing Display Screen Equipment Assessors. However, the responsibility for compliance still lies with the Head of Department. 3 WHAT IS DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT? Display Screen Equipment can be defined as any conventional cathode ray tube screen and other display screen process such as a liquid crystal display. In addition, display screens used for line drawings, graphs, charts or computer-generated graphics are included. Screens whose main use is to show television or film pictures are not included. Although included in the Regulations general definition of a display screen there are certain relaxations from the main requirements from the regulations when used outside a typical office or PC based environment, e.g. engineering machinery control applications, process control systems etc. There is also some flexibility in the Regulations where the welfare of the user has to be considered, e.g. wheelchair users, employees with back problems where the special seating supplied would not normally meet the standards required by the Regulations. 4 RISKS FROM USING DISPLAY SCREENS The principal risk associated when working with display screen equipment is work related to upper limb disorder (WRULD), visual fatigue and possibly mental stress. These conditions are not unique to working with display screen equipment and not an inevitable result of working with this type of equipment.
In general terms the risk to the individual can be classified as low, however where an individual is required to operate a display screen under unsatisfactory conditions and on a continuous basis there could be a significant increase in the risk of the above conditions occurring. It is important that in display screen work, as in all other types of work, sound principles be applied in relation to the work environment, working methods and task organisation. 5 WHO IS A DISPLAY SCREEN USER? The principal definition of a user within the Regulations is an employee who habitually uses display screen equipment for the purpose of an employer's undertaking as a significant part of their normal employment". It is clear that for some employees, e.g. word processor operators, secretaries, typists, computer personnel, data input operators, graphic designers screen work is more or less continuous, and the individuals should be regarded as users. However changes in working environments and patterns for academic, professional, technical and administrative staff means that many more staff can be classified as users under the regulations. A DSE User Self Assessment Questionnaire must be completed by all members of staff who use personal or lap top computers, as a method for identifying users and assessing their work environments. 6 ASSESSMENT OF WORKSTATIONS Having determined the users of display screen equipment an assessment of their relevant workstations must be undertaken to ensure compliance with the Regulations. A method for assessing workstations quickly and efficiently is to use a simple self-assessment questionnaire, which can be completed by the user. The self-assessment questionnaires must be circulated and completed by all affected staff. The results of the questionnaires should be collated departmentally and an action plan drawn up on any remedial work or workplace modifications (see Appendix A). Where the user or the department these should be done so as can undertake improvements to workstations soon as is reasonably practicable. Examples include provision of appropriate chairs, repositioning of furniture, provision of footrests, window blinds and document holders etc. Where the nature of the improvements require some technical input and specialist advice e.g. lighting, heating and ventilation, then Property Management Services should be consulted. Where a member of staff identifies physical/visual problems in their self-assessment questionnaires then the University s Occupational Health and Ophthalmic Service providers must be consulted as soon as possible.
A review of the assessment will need to be undertaken where there has been a significant change in the workstation furniture; hardware or the workstation is moved to another location. 7 TRAINING AND INFORMATION The provision of adequate training and information is on the requirements of the Regulations. Therefore, please ensure that all staff receives a copy of the Users Guide on Display Screen Equipment. 8 EYES AND EYESIGHT TESTS All users have a right of access to free eye tests under the Regulations. Please bring this to their attention and forward names of users to the Health and Safety Unit where the necessary arrangements will be made. 9 STUDENTS Each student should be provided with a copy of the generic risk assessment on Display Screen Equipment undertaken to satisfy the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999. Students should be provided with information on how to adjust the workstation e.g. chairs, display screen etc. The information can be provided individually or around workstations via posters. A more detailed assessment may be required for particular categories of students, e.g. for those students with disabilities. 10 SUMMARY The following checklist will enable managers responsible for compliance with the DSE Regs to ensure that the appropriate procedure has been undertaken. a) Issue users guide and self-assessment questionnaire to all affected staff b) Collect and collate responses from completed self-assessment questionnaires c) Produce a departmental management action plan. The plan must i) Identify all users ii) Forward names of users to the Health and Safety Unit for inclusion in the eye care scheme. iii) Identify issues that can be dealt with by the department and agree a timetable for compliance iv) Identify issues that need to be referred to Property Services and agree a timescale for completion v) Identify users that need to be referred to Occupational Health
vi) Implement any recommendations/advice provided by Occupational Health d) Assess the effectiveness of the compliance strategy through your departmental health and safety inspections. e) Review the compliance strategy through your departmental health and safety meetings. f) Ensure that new staff are provided with the necessary information and guidance and that they complete a self-assessment questionnaire. g) Where there has been significant alteration to workstations or movement e.g. one area to another, re-issue the self-assessment questionnaire to affected staff. h) Re-issue the self-assessment questionnaire on a three-yearly cycle. i) Where necessary contact the Health and Safety Unit regarding advice and support.
APPENDIX A IMPLEMENTATION OF DISPLAY SCREEN REGULATIONS BEGIN CIRCULATE DSE GUIDANCE AND SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE TO ALL STAFF WHO USE A PERSONNEL OR LAPTOP COMPUTER COLLATE SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS. CO-ORDINATE ASSESSMENTS PRODUCE A MANAGEMNET ACTION PLAN REFER DSE USERS WHO HAVE IDENTIFIED PHYSICAL/VISUAL DISCOMFORT IN THEIR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, TO THE UNIVERSITY S OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, VIA YOUR AREA HR Advisor REQUEST PROPERTY SERVICES TO COMPLETE WORK OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT E.G. TEMPERATURE, VENTILATION, LIGHTING, WINDOW BLINDS ETC. IDENTIFY AND COMPLETE TASKS THAT ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT, E.G. FURNITURE, CHAIRS, FOOTRESTS, DOCUMENT HOLDERS, ETC. IDENTIFY STAFF CLASSED AS USERS UNDER THE DSE REGS IMPLEMENT ADVICE PROVIDED BY THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE OBTAIN CONFIRMATION THAT THE REMEDIAL WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED FORWARD NAMES OF USERS TO HEALTH & SAFETY UNIT FOR INCLUSION IN THE UNIVERSITY EYE CARE SCHEME REVIEW EFFECTIVENESS TO COMPLIANCE STRATEGY THROUGH ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY INSPECTIONS AND DEPARTMENTAL SAFETY MEETINGS LOCAL SITE HEALTH AND SAFETY PANEL TO MONITOR AND REVIEW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMPLIANCE STRATEGY IN RESPECT OF THE DSE REGS