Health and Safety - INFO 1

Back and neck problems can be caused by:

• Sitting in the same position for too long
• Not having appropriate back support
• Being too high or to low to easily reach the keyboard and mouse, or to see the monitor

This can be avoided by having a chair with back support and adjustable height.

Regular breaks also reduce these problems

Health and Safety Regulations

• Employers should provide chairs with adjustable height to each employee

Eye strain can be caused by:

• Continually looking at the monitor for extended periods of time
• Looking at bright/poor quality images
• Reading text that is too small
• Using a monitor which has glare from lights or windows

To reduce the risk of eye strain, use computer in an area where there is no glare from windows. Also, reducing the brightness of the screen will reduce the effects of eye strain. Regular breaks allow your eyes can rest.

Health and Safety Regulations

•  Employers should pay for eye tests

RSI (repetitive strain injury) occurs after continually use of a particular group of muscles. When using ICT, RSI mainly effects the:

• fingers
• Wrists 
• Arms

By taking regular breaks, it will lower the risk of getting RSI. Wrist pads are also available if your job involves you to constantly be typing. Varying your work pattern is also another way of reducing the effects.

Health and Safety Regulations

• Employers should provide non-computer related work so that employees can vary what they do, and have breaks from using a computer

DVT (deep vein thrombosis) causes blood clots in the body, mainly in the legs. This occurs due to sitting down for long periods of time.

By taking regular breaks from work, you will ensure that your legs get enough exercise and reduce the risk of getting DVT. Walking to the printer or photocopier are small jobs and take up little time, but they ensure that your legs get a small amount of exercise.

Health and Safety Regulations

• Employers should make sure that there staff have a varied work pattern and do not just sit at a computer desk all day

Wherever there is electrical equipment, there is a risk of fire.

It is important that each employee knows where each fire exit is, where the fire extinguishers are etc.

The fire extinguishers need to be the correct type, CO2, so it is important that this is checked.

Health and Safety Regulations

• All health and safety training should be provided to an employee when they join the company

Wires can be dangerous for one main reason - they are a tripping hazard.

Poor installation and maintenance of wires can result in them being all over the floor, making the work environment dangerous for staff.

By:

• Bounding the wires together using a cable tie
• Positioning the wires in places such as next to walls, rather than in the middle of the floor

Wires become less of a risk to employees.

Health and Safety Regulations

• Employers should make sure that the workplace is well maintained, neat and tidy

Electricution can happen when equipment is poorly maintained, this could be when:

• Cables are frayed
• Loose wires
• Disconnected earth connections
• Liquids are spilt

By making sure that all equipment is well maintained, there should be very little chance of electricution. Staff should also know the location of the circuit breaker in case of an emergency.

Health and Safety Relgulations

• The equipment within the workplace should be kept well maintained.

The main problems with food drink is the increased build up of germs and bacteria at workstations.

By providing antibacterial hand gel around the office, it will reduce the amount of germs that are spread between employees.

Bins should also be provided so that employees can remove any rubbish, such as food packaging, from their desks, allowing them to work in a clear, stress-free environment.

Liquids can also be a hazard as they create a risk of electricution. As long as all wires are well maintained and employees are careful with their drinks, there should be no problems.