Carl your question is a bit vague. I cannot see a significant HS risk with using the laptop in this situation so long as the car is parked. Steve

similarly to phone usage the car should be stopped with the engine off and the keys out of the ignition (if the police look...) As for using laptops whilst sat in the car you should always look at the regs to try and alleviate any potential problems. There are laptop holders etc that can help. The use of a seperate keyboard and mouse are basically out of the equation. Limiting usage time to about 15 mins sounds a good plan. Any longer usage than this I would suggest thinking about leaving a site later or arriving at a site earlier to get the work done at a table or proper surface.

It depends on what you are doing. Of course the vehicle should be stationary and safely parked with the engine off. If the laptop is being used occasionally to check emails or entering some figures then there should not be an issue but the fact that is as we all know people end up using laptops as their main computer and we all see people working in service stations etc writing up reports etc. This moves the people into the realm of DSE ‘user’ under the regs. If an employee starts to use their laptop in their car to write up reports and other intensive computer work then I think that this makes in a computer workstation. I know that the regs mention “display equipment on board a means of transport’( Reg 1(4)(c) as not being subject to the regs, I think that this would be interpreted as means DSE equipment used to control a means of transport eg aircraft or ship’s control panel , not a car being used as an office. I have hear of employers who expect their staff to work in their vehicles (some telecoms companies) actually fitting out vehicles as mini-offices with fold away docking stations for laptops etc.

At my previous place of employment we had a mobile work force of engineers and we always suggested that if they need to use their laptops in the car they transferred to the passenger seat as this then gives them more space to work a least more comfortably than in drivers seat.

Laptops can come under the Regs:- See Page 51 of the guidance - 'As with full-sized DSE, portables in prolonged use (and the workstations and working environments where they are used) are required to comply with the Schedule.' If used for just a few minutes, then it doesn't look as if there is a problem. However, when does usage become 'prolonged?'

Rockybalboa, please could you - or anybody - detail your reasoning (@ post #9) for classing a person as a significant user if they are using the laptop for about 40% plus of their weekly contracted hours. Many thanks

Another factor, and I appreciate this was not the basis of the original question, is the threat of violence/robbery if someone is using a laptop in full display of passers-by.