Would be interested in forum users thoughts on this one. I arrived at work this morning to find the receptionist having to shield her eyes from the sun as it poured in through the glass front of the building. It was impossible for her to work without shielding her eyes. She explained that she had complained but was told it was too expensive to tint the glass on the front of the building. The reception area is massive and a canopy could easilly be erected above her desk which would shield her completely. Any thoughts on how she can take this further?

It would be interesting to know what the company DSE assessment for the reception workstation had to say about the matter but even so, from the prvious statements, the company seem intent on saving money rather than providing employee wellbeing. Whatever happened to CDM regs but the way regarding sensible and safe design of the reception area ???

GreigD; as the person concerned is an expectant mother (has she told/notified HR/personnnel officially?) this should be addressed asap - I tell the expectant mothers that we have in our organisation when I do expectant mother risk assessments and DSE assessments to vary thier tasks, jobs etc as much as possible, ie not to stand for long periods and not to sit for long periods; I always ask if thier medical practitioner (midwife or Doc) has gven them any specific do's and dont's. Ulimately the organisation has duty to protect the mother and unborn baby from harm this may mean changing jobs, location etc etc but could ultimately mean her being sent home on full pay if they cannot find a suitable alternative for her. Stuart

Here you go - both of these link to free downloads: http://books.hse.gov.uk/...alogueCode=9780717624881 http://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/mothers.htm

It isn't always as simple as ABC I know from recent experience of an employee working for a government department, who got no help at all re DSE regs and ended up resigning and using a solicitor to sue for compensation. The claim was settled out of court and was all over within 12 months of her starting work for them. It was a workstation issue that the employer just could not get to grips with, the employee was recruited through the disability scheme so the employer knew she had the disability but took no interest whatsoever. My advice is to go through the usual requesting process and ensure everything is recorded. emails are excellent especially if you copy to senior management and union rep if there is one.