I have been asked to assist with a DSE assessment for a colleague who has very restricted neck and head mobility due to an old injury sustained when she worked as a touch typist many years ago.

My colleague has her screen placed on a stack of four monitor risers, so currently her eyes are in line with the centre of the screen (I have explained the top of the monitor needs to be eye-level, but my colleague informed me that DSE rules do not apply to her as she has a medical condition).

She has a document holder next to her screen as she can not move her head without suffering pain. She also uses this document holder to write on as she can only write on documents placed at eye level; thus she has taped the document holder to the screen and has partially blocked monitor’s vents. I have asked her to remove this tape, but I was told that she would not be able to write on the document holder and as a result her medical condition would be aggravated. After a few emails I managed to get her to unblock the vents, but the document holder is still taped to the monitor.

I would like to find a suitable long term solution as I do not think this set up is suitable (the monitor can be knocked down easily or she can block the monitor’s vents with tape when the document holder becomes loose)

In the past we have provided different document holders but she turned them all down; we also bought a document holder (free stand) she specifically asked for, but she only used for 2 days and said it was to flimsy to write on.

We also offered a different monitor, so we could remove the monitor risers, but she refused to change her monitor.

The only option I think I have is to ask a carpenter to build a bespoke document holder; but this would be bulky and she may refuse to have it on her desk, she is very peculiar about her desk set up and IT are constantly rewiring her equipment as her phone has to be in an specific place.

My colleague have been referred to Occupational Health twice in the past but their reports have left a lot to be desired….They just say leave things as they are as she is not suffering any pain at the moment.

Can I make her to take the tape off the monitor (as it is a fire risk)?
Where would I stand if her medical condition is aggravated? Please note this workstation has been set up like this for four years now.

Any help/comments would be appreciated

Hi M,

It looks good! I shall look into it. Thank you

Seems you have a somewhat obstreperous employee to deal with here. There are many applications allowing note taking on-screen, or track-change/ comments could be used on MS Word.
I wouldn't be happy with any employee to be writing on a vertical document holder (other than the odd highlight or annotation) let alone anyone with health issues.

There are desk mounted solutions (docu-glide type of item) but the individual's mobility might preclude that.
As for accepting the new monitor, the employee really has a duty to comply with the employer's reasonable requirements = do as you're told (employment law).

Pearce20467

Complimenting you on your care, may I also very, very strongly encourage you to contine in that vein in order to avoid the hassle and financial risks of a claim of discrimination arising out of a disability.

Should such a claim arise, the claimant's side will undoubtely appoint an ergonomist to provide the court with an objective assessment. While a 'Euraka moment' might be wonderful, available case law indicates how a court tends to settle for reasonable levels of scientific reliablity and valdity in a professional assessment.

What appears to be missing from the account so far is a measured account of the employee's view; unless you take great care to gather data of this kind, to label it 'as obstreperous' is a fairly guaranteed way of increasing the risk of damages for discrimination, regrettably.

So, may I suggest that you find a registered ergonomist (ie. registered member of the IEHF), who's also a CMIOSH and who is equipped to use a repertory grid to gather measurable data on how the employee views the situation. This technique has been proven of the past fifty-seven years to be a reliable way of gathering valid data, in words and numbers, that provides a good basis for negotiation.