Posted By Neil R
Thats the idea of a DSE assessment isn't it?

You go through the assessment, answering questions about posture, eye/ screen position. Pain and discomfort etc whilst using YOUR equipment. What would be the point of doing it on a different machine?

The answers to the questions flag up the issues, for example feet don't touch the floor etc and then the employer assesses the workstation and provides the equipment to solve the issue.

Don't see what the problem is?

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Crim

Regrettably, this is really not so unusual - such cases are commonly resolved out-of-court through para. 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules, if the employee makes a claim under health/safety law.

By contrast, a claim under 'disability discrimination' is commonly perceived as in the 'heavy lifting' category and given more attention.

One available lesson is that safety practitioners can choose to develop expertise in applying 'disability ergonomics' as part of their normal practice.

Posted By Descarte
Some DSE self assessments also include basic training for the correct use of DSE equipment, also a good idea that the person conducting it is at their own work station.

Apart from taking breaks in between conducting the assessment and the employee making obvious alterations to their own work station as they go I also cannot see a major issue, surely the assessment does not take several hours to complete? Though it is unfortunate that they have to repeat this twice.

Des

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Crim

Regarding length of validity of a risk assessment, as you know, the principle of risk assessment is that 'until there's a significant change...'

Re-emergence of painful musculo-skeletal problems is 'significant' enough for you to spend your time on the matter!

Regarding a claim or otherwise...The ultimate negotiation may be between persistent exposure to uncontrollable (not simply uncontrolled) likelihood of injury leading to irreversible damage (such cases occur - I've come across more than one).

In the event that AFTER AND ONLY AFTER the employer has exhaustively explored every avenue to control the risk, they may legitimately declare 'frustration of contract', ie. the employee is literally not fit to work.

Meanwhile, the employEE can simply phone 'Access to Work' and arrange for them to send an 'safety ergonomist' (ideally but probably not a qualified one!) to assess her needs and provide appropriate adaptive equipment free of charge.

It's a matter for negotiation - and mediation perhaps with your help? - to figure out to what extent voice-controlled software can be used in the call centre environment. With a good trainer, funded by the Access to Work scheme, this may well deliver the goods; I know one former sufferer who went down that path and relief from daily keyboarding was sufficient - by the time he had learned to use the voice-operated software (along with his steady commitment to swimming a mile five days a week to improve his fitness level), the RSI condition was greatly relieved; it's now also controlled with brief visits to a chiropractor about every 4 to 6 months.

Posted By Ron Hunter
On-screen DSE Assessments packages surely have facility to save the assessment. If it doesn't, it's a pretty poor system.
It would also appear to have a few other glitches - like not sending reports to e-mail recipients!
Hitting "resend" shouldn't be an RSI issue!

Posted By Bob Shillabeer
Had a concern when an employee reported that she had already suffered with RSI prior to becoming an employee of the company I work for. That did not change the position of her employment but put an additional duty upon is tomanage the continuing problem in that we had to provide something extra to reduce the risk of further injury. This was noted in the DSE assesment that was carried out and the workstation modified as appropriate. Problem solved, so why is there such a big issue made of such a simple task??