Protect your workers with the right equipment


Health and Safety E Learning

In this day and age of compensationDSE Risk Assessment and Training are
claims for even the most minor strainsHealth and Safety requirements and are
and accidents it pays all employers toquite simple to practice. There are
comply with Health and Safetyrecommended guidelines for the angle of
regulations to cover themselves as wella VDU, the positioning of a keyboard,
as their employees. The Health andmouse, desk and chair. All should be set
Safety Executive regulations have, for aup for the individual employee to ensure
number of years now, made it a legalcomfortable working positions.
requirement for all employers to assessEmployers are liable for the cost of
and reduce the risk to staff in thesight tests for VDU operators when
workplace.requested but there is no evidence that,
Some employers, pressed for time as wellwhen used properly, a VDU screen would
as money, find this a problem. Wholecause any health problems. Only when
work days are sometimes lost, venuesthere is unnecessary glare, bad posture
need to be booked and paid for andor a wrongly positioned unit does a
transport provided. All this comes atproblem occur. There is certainly no
the expense of the employer but surelyevidence to suggest there is any
cannot be as costly as the amount ofworsening of eyesight from use of a VDU.
sick days taken in the name of workSo, employees do not want to be injured
related health problems.at work and employers do not want to
Figures from the Health and Safetyspend man hours and hard earned profits
Executive for 2003/04 show that 448,000on Health and Safety Training. However,
British workers were reported to havethere is a solution. It is now possible
suffered from work relatedto train all employers and their staff
musculo-skeletal disorders (the umbrellain all Health and Safety aspects without
term for Repetitive Strain Injury). Thisever having to leave their badly
was a staggering increase of 52,000 frompositioned, overly bright VDU or their
the previous year.wonky chair.
Direct and indirect costs to societyIt is now possible to meet all the legal
amounted to a phenomenal 5.7 poundsrequirements of Health and Safety
billion in the year 2004/5. The HealthTraining on line. It is called Health
and Safety Executive attributes this toand Safety e-learning. Risk assessments
the 450,000 cases of workers absentare set out for employers and employees
through back complaints and 375,000can set their own agenda for DSE
through back and upper limb disorders.training thus reducing impact on work
Amazingly, they even report seven yearschedules. Training can be completed
old children to be suffering RSIover time at a pace that suits the
complaints so schools also need toindividual and training certificates can
implement the regulations.be printed out at the conclusion.
Repetitive Strain Injury is a commonThis solution is cost effective,
occurrence in offices where staff spendrequiring minimal resources and a
the majority of their day sat in frontLearning Development Advisor is assigned
of a VDU, or DSE. Display Screento the company involved to keep track of
Equipment is a broader term for VDU andthe training. It is also recommended
covers all the equipment at a deskthat results be saved to a database to
including keyboard and mouse, which haveestablish an audit trail and prove your
been the cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndromecompany's compliance with Health and
when used incorrectly.Safety Regulations.



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