IT Management News

RSI Week: Your employer's obligations

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RSI

Jonathan Bennett ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 26 Feb 2004 15:25 GMT

Most workplace health and safety regulations apply to factories, warehouses and other places where the likelihood of losing a vital appendage are a lot higher then the average open-plan office. But while complaints like RSI don't occurr often in the average Casualty script, lawmakers obviously take the issue seriously enough to have laid down some regulations for employers.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) regulations 1992 relate to most types of data terminal -- anything with a screen and keyboard really. Much of the DSE regulations refer to the effect monitor use can have on the eyes, and healthcare related to the eyes. While this is just as valid a health concern as RSI, it isn't strictly speaking the same condition. However, there are also references to the general work environment in the regulations, and peripheral equipment.

The regulations define a workstation as: "display screen equipment … a keyboard or any other input device, 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, and the immediate work environment around the display screen equipment."

This means that it's not just your computer and input devices that the regulations apply to, but your entire work area. Your desk and chair are just as important to having a good posture while working, so it's right that attention is paid to them.

The regulations state that:

1 - Every employer shall perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of those workstations…for the purpose of assessing the health and safety risks.

This means that your general working environment, including your monitor, keyboard, mouse, chair, desk and any other equipment on your desk needs to be checked to see if it's correctly adjusted or positioned to minimise your risk of developing RSI. What this generally boils down to is having an adjustable height chair, and enough desk space to position your mouse and keyboard to suit you.