Personally I would advise that a risk assessment is not necessary. Does the use of a smartpone pose a significant risk of a RSI, probabely not. Does your organisation have a risk assessment for the use of a pencil or pen.

Your employer is looking to cover his back from a litigation point of view but is only wasting time and money conducting a useless risk assessment wich will be nothing more than a paper work exercise.

Your time and effort would be better put to use dealing with real HS&E risk.

We cannot justify the indefensible by a process of risk assessment. To set out to use these devices as a routine method of communication is one thing, to expect people to be routinely composing complex replies entirely another matter.

If someone has sent me an e-mail (any e-mail) I assume the matter isn't that urgent. If it was urgent, they should have phoned me. Similarly, if I've a lot to say to someone, I'll speak to them.
If something in a work context reallly, really needs a formal written reply then e-mail isn't going to cut it with me.

The employer's realistic expectations of use of these things should be clearly stated and communicated to all. We had a similar thread here a few weeks back. Some self-employed consultants had slightly different pov to mine regarding use, but I guess we'd all baulk at applying "risk assessment" to the task!

A lot surely depends on how long and over what periods people use such devices. To echo Jay's response, consideration should be given to their distraction factor. Some people are seriously addicted to the devices and somehow think they are immune from harm as they walk along pavements, across roads and even drive while using them.

Should the RA not have come first as part of the selection process, specifying what information, instruction and training would be required on roll out etc

Have a look at;
www.londonchamber.co.uk/docimages/1387.pdf

With such kit I think that we are falling into the same trap of; fire arms, radiation, asbestos, electricity and hands--free kit when they were first used in the public domain and we all know what happened there e.g. All brought about death and human suffering - most of which are still killing people today

Personally using such kit as a day to day situation is a no no for me and ergonomically such kit cannot be good for many jobs/people as we are just not designed by nature to work that way and youngsters especially [& many oldies] are using such kit on an almost permanent basis so we are stocking up problems for tomorrow

Driving: Most people have not read the highway code recently so I suggest U do as its requested to turn off your mobile not to rest it in a hands--free pod so such kit is no use there!

You need to really evaluate just what such kit is to be used for /what the job needs are and then get the best that is ergonomically suited to a person noting that if I was given no choice then I would not use such kit in any situation apart from emergencies where such kit is fabulous - I am not saying that such kit is no good as it is very good

All I am saying is the we chose the right kit for the right circumstance instead of following fashion ---which is what it is in many cases and yep I have facilitated in risk assessments re the use of pencils; but U need to know the circumstances to understand the situation