Posted By Nigel Hammond
I have providing training sessions, videos, self-assessment forms that guide them through the risk assessment process etc etc, and yet I walk around the building and see practically everyone hunched over staring at a flat screen that is too far away and typing on a keyboard and mouse that are too far into the desk. So, I politely help people to correct their work stations. I come back an hour later and they are back to the same old bad position.
I explain the health hazards and the ergonomics but it seems to go in one ear and out of the other.

We have H&S reps who carry out monthly inspections but seem blind to these problems(I'm going to give them a refresher about what to look for).

I don't have these sorts of problems training and encouraging operational staff in various aspects of health & safety in the care homes we run. I just get these problems with admin staff who seem to think that health & safety does not apply to them.

I am considering elearning as one solution but I suspect this will only have a short-lived effect on the way people set-up their workstations.

Does anyone else find these problems with DSE and have you come up with any clever ways of getting people to change their ways - without having to resort to the disciplinary route?

Posted By Nigel Hammond
This is a good question Paul and perhaps something I need to look into more. A common answer seems to be that people are happy with the way they are set-up. They say they want their screen where it is (Even if it is miles away from their eyes). "It's personal choice" etc etc. The biggest problem seems to be getting people to realise that what they are doing is a problem.

Posted By Jez Corfield
Its difficult to make them work - staff often feel they do not need to change unless they suffer ill health, but at least if they do you have a record of assessments and advice given.

You can take a horse to water.... and if the product of this is 'no-ill-health' even if it is in a way you dont like, its not too bad a result.

This sounds a bit negative I know, but if you are complying with the law, and people arent sick, maybe you doing better than you think?

Jez

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Nigel

It's doubtful whether you'll get much insight into the implicit beliefs that influence the behaviour you want to change by asking directly.

Skilful use of a tool for exploring attitudes to working and well-being, in particular the repertory grid, may well provide you with useful data, which you can then use as a guide for action and as a baseline for recurrent research checks.

Martin Fromm at Stuttgard University has written an excellent guide to the repertory grid and published user-centred software which you can download from www.gridsuite.de and use for 45 days on a free trial.

Posted By Eric Beach
Don't know if it will help but my opening line is often to ask them if they have had any aches and pains related to back, neck, upper limbs etc. This usually brings an affirmative response and tends to be a good motivator in encouraging change. After all pain is what God gave us to tell us something is wrong - so I guess it's only fair if we use it to motivate change?

Posted By Is Kismet
Nigel, yes, I see it all the time, I put it down to human nature. But if you teach people what to do and why, and you provide them with the right equipment properly set up, then if they get aches and pains at least they know what to do (the right posture) to ease them.

I've carried out many assessments with, I think (I hope!), a high success rate, judging by the reviews which generally show a reduction in discomfort.

But it is a constant source of surprise to me that people just sit at a new desk and accept it as being OK, without making all the adjustments. Once they are made for them they stand at least a chance of getting it right.

Posted By TBC
http://www.web-safety.co...e/Downloads/Rispres3.ppt

This one's quite good and you can always play around to alter it.

Posted By Alison WR
Among other things, we issue the assessors with digital cameras. Most people are somewhere between surprised and horrified to see what they really look like, and how the cause of their mysterious pain is actually blindingly obvious. The 'before and after' photos are included in the assessment report, and assessors drop by from time to time to see how people are acclimatising to the 'new' posture.

Obviously, there's also correctly adjusting the chair, height adjustable desks, etc, and doing some corrective exercises to overcome desk-rounded shoulders and dormant backs. Also a toy box of input devices, wedges, ball chairs and other gizmos to be used as appropriate. We confiscate wrist rests, but are fans of mouse beans, and find many staff are OK with the palm rests integrated into keyboards.

Alison

Posted By Zaphod
Alison, I am interested in your comment about 'desk rounded shoulders and dormant backs.' This is something I suspected but do not have any evidence.

There seems to be plenty of evidence around WRULDs and eye strain in HSE publications. Do you know of any publications that support the rounded shoulders theory?

Posted By Sheila EJ Keogh
I agree with Eric - see someone in a dodgy (workstation)position and ask if they are comfortable in their chair, or if they suffer any upper limb aches, pains etc. They often say they are comfortable, and fine, but I ask them to humour me by letting me readjust their chair and for them to adjust seating height, ergonomic layout of stuff etc. I ask them to try it for a few days (with hourly 5-10 min task breaks) and then I catch up a few days later to see if they've noticed any benefit. And surprise surprise, they practically ALWAYS say that they feel better, less achy, and can't thank me enough!! It also helps to reinforce the point (eg mouse usage and task breaks) when I mention young staff who have ignored ULD symptoms and ignored my advice or their doctor's advice, and then had to be signed off work for 3 months (yes, happened to 2 staff), and they couldn't even lift a kettle!

Posted By lewes
Ok guys and girls.

Have duly purchased regulation tennis balls and have tried many times to place on shoulder blades without fail.

Posture good, chair correct but they just drop off.

Should I have got some velcro at the same time !!!