FOCUS HEALTH AND SAFETY
ERGONOMIC MATTERS
Workstation assessments have been neglected and the e ect on sta health and wellbeing is
becoming a problem says Guy Osmond, Managing Director of Osmond Ergonomics
When the world was turned
upside-down by COVID,
many things fell by the wayside
–Digital Screen Equipment (DSE)
assessments among them. These
workstation assessments are
required by law for any member
of sta using a screen for an hour
or more a day to protect them
from the risks to physical health of
working on PCs, laptops, tablets and
smartphones.
Prolonged sitting and poor
workstation layout can be the
trigger for musculoskeletal pain
and discomfort. If le untreated or
unmanaged, they can progress from
mild to severe conditions and lead
to longer-term physical and mental
health problems.
Under The Health and Safety
(Display Screen Equipment)
Regulations, DSE workstation
assessments are required whenever
an employee starts, and if their
workplace or workstation changes
– for example if they shi to
homeworking or move from a PC to
a laptop, as so many did during the
pandemic.
But in many cases, assessment
programs have either been makeshi
or completely neglected for those
working from home during the
pandemic, leaving millions with
homeworking set-ups which could
damage their health.
IMPACT OF A POOR SETUP
As Managing Director of Osmond
Ergonomics, I have devoted much of
my career to providing ergonomics
solutions to protect workers’ health,
and o en to ameliorate damage
already done.
I fear we are facing a tsunami
of musculoskeletal health issues
amongst the population of workers
who shi ed rapidly to homeworking
during the pandemic. Millions
of homeworkers will currently
be su ering due to inadequate
equipment, lack of space, and poor
or non-existent training. And while
many employers have supplied chairs
or the funds to buy them, that may be
a waste of money unless the whole
setup is reviewed.
Unfortunately, the ‘temporary’ set
ups and makeshi arrangements
sta adopted have been allowed
to continue, as many employers
have allowed their risk assessment
schedules to dri . Two years down the
line, many of those workers are paying
the price.
I have seen a number of recurring
issues, including:
Using laptops without a separate
keyboard, mouse and screen raiser,
with resultant neck and back pain.
Still using the kitchen or dining
table causing hunched shoulders
with resultant neck and upper back
problems.
Using dressing tables and ‘desks’
with drawers underneath that
prevent any reasonable posture
being achieved, regardless of how
good the chair is.
Now, as people begin to return to
the workplaces and many more
companies opt for blended or hybrid
working arrangements, this is a
moment for employers to take action
and stem the tide of health problems.
STEPS FOR IMPROVEMENT
The first step is to carry out DSE
assessments of all homeworker setups
as well as o ice setups, as the basis for
a holistic approach to their needs and
to meet the statutory requirements.
While you can download a
straightforward checklist from
the Health and Safety Executive
website, a better move is to combine
this process with training. Stuart
Entwistle, Training Manager at
Osmond Ergonomics runs regular
DSE assessment training courses for
employers.
He says: “It’s vital to guide sta
through the checklist and at the same
time, provide proper guidance on how
sta can optimise their workstation.
Otherwise, it is just a tick-box
exercise that will address none of the
important issues.
“We see many people who have
been through that initial DSE process
but due to poor training, come
back with problems that the DSE
assessment is meant to resolve. It isn’t
enough to just provide the equipment
– we also provide the installation
and training that sta need to use it
properly.
“There is a massive unmet need at
the moment. Sorting out those who
have developed back aches, neck
and shoulder pain, repetitive strain
injury and so on used to be more than
half of our business but the demand
diminished significantly through the
pandemic.
“But, since the beginning of 2022,
we have observed more employers
starting to address the problems
arising due to sta being neglected
whilst working at home.”
WORKSTATION EQUIPMENT
While there is the statutory
requirement and an employer’s
legal duty of care to consider, that is
far from the best reason to invest in
assessments and proper workstation
equipment.
It is much more about wellbeing.
If employees are healthy, happy
and engaged, they will be more
productive and contribute more.
The impact of failing to invest is
clear - musculoskeletal disorders
are the second most common cause
of days lost due to work-related ill
health, accounting for 8.9 million in
2019/2020, according to the HSE.
Then there is the all-important
matter of retention; with the jobs
market as it is now, it is more
important than ever for businesses
to take care of and keep hold of
experienced and valued people. The
cost and trouble of replacing them is
another major consideration.
It is far better to invest upfront in the
right equipment than end up paying
for it later, both in terms of your
business’ productivity and the cost to
your employees’ health and wellbeing.
The big return to the o ice marks
a watershed moment for companies
to properly take responsibility for the
needs of hybrid and home workers. If
you conduct proper risk assessments
and act on the findings, you could
still prevent the kind of physical
health problems which can blight
lives and undermine capability and
productivity.
58 MAY 2022