Hi all,

I have been in my new role for a month now and my main issue is DSE. it’s very clear that this area of the business needs help. I'm trying to find a good supplier of office furniture including laptop risers, chairs, balance balls and standing desks. has anyone had any experience in changing office culture surrounding DSE.

 Hi GJ,

At the risk of being patronising, you need to familiarise yourself with the DSE regs- use the ACOP its useful and will help you determine what is required as a minimum. If you have not already done so try and get yourself on an DSE assessor course before you go shopping for equipment.

 I suggest that you start by looking at the work force and how they work- are they all office based or are some remote workers etc.

 Once you have an idea as to how and where  they use their DSE you will be able to determine the best way to upskill them so they can all self assess and know how to set up their own work stations.  There are some really good on line training packages available that will help with this.

In your list you mention Balance Balls- what are these and how are they used in connection with workstation set up?

Nic

Laptop risers? There is another post regarding dual screen set-ups where a varifocal wearer pointed out that if they had their laptop screen height "as per regulatory guidance" they would be sat with their head tilted backwards at an awkward angle to see the screen - wholly unergonomic and contrary to the spirit of the regs.

As with any project start at the beginning - what have we got, how are we using it and are there any opportunities to improve?

You may end up with a short employment if you start by trying to change all the furniture without considered justification.

Trendy ideas such as standing desks and balance balls in lieu of chairs may go down well at certain tech firms but tend to be less appreciated in most businesses

As said before, beware of anything "ergonomic" - all office equipment is ergonomic, it's been designed by someone to "fit" most people. Standard desks and chairs will be adequate for most people (80/20 rule). Others with injuries or health conditions might need more help. £150 gets you a decent basic office chair - it must have height and back angle adjustment, but look for ones with adjustable lumbar support and a seat slide (allows for those with shorter/longer legs). Basically, the more you pay the more adjustable the chair, but keep away from trendy modern chairs (personally, I don't like mesh backs or leather "directors' chairs (not enough back support). Desks are pretty much standard - 72cm high, different sizes, go for the biggest you can get into the space you have - people need space to spread out their work. Keep a small stock of "comfort aids" - footrests for the shorties; vertical or rollerball mice for people with hand/wrist problems; risers (and a separate keyboard and mouse) for laptop users; lumbar rolls and seat wedges for those who need extra back support; desk risers (or blocks of 4x4) for taller workers.

My approach when someone comes to me with a DSE problem is to spend some time talking to them (the fact they're a prop forward for Wigan at weekends my have more bearing than a badly adjusted chair!), look at their work station and how they work and make adjustments to what they've got. I've lost count of the times I've looked at someone's chair, altered the height of the seat back using the ratchet mechanism (so the lumbar support is in the small of their back) and the reaction is invariably: "Goodness, that's much better! I didn't know it did that..." Come back in a couple of weeks and see if there's any improvement. If not, get the next level of equipment price-wise - don't go straight out and get a £1000 chair; escalate up through the catalogue; you will always find someone else who can use the surplus kit. Ergonomics is not a precise science much is based on trial and error until you find something that works for that individual. I always tell people I'm not going to "cure" whatever ails them - all I can do is improve their comfort and allow them to stay seated for longer before it starts to hurt. Advise them to see their GP is problems persist.

Don't forget DSE users (generally more than an hour's screen time a day) are entitled to a free eye test and DSE specs, if needed, at their employers expense. 

Take a look at Loughborough University's free ergonomic resourse: https://www.openerg.com which includes an online DIY DSE assessment.

Ian

Originally Posted by: nic168

Varifocal users are one group who can benefit from "DSE specs" as it/they can reduce the need to tilt and nod that some wearers have to do.

Interesting opinion - having just gone for my bi-annual eye test armed with my readers, drivers, safety bi-focals and single vision DSE the optician recommended I try varifocals to eliminate both the need to constantly switch prescriptive devices and overcome the issue of having the wrong glasses on for what I was doing at the time.

The only valid reason I can determine for a single vision DSE prescription is where a companies policy specifically excludes the purchase of bi-focal or vari-focal lenses driven by doing the absolute minimum to comply with the law - apparently more enlightened employers contribute the single vision cost when a user is advised by a qualified specialist to order vari-focals.

I once worked for the British subsidiary of a German company, and when we moved to new premises and bought new furniture, the parent company sent over their 'Office Furniture Manager' (I kid you not), who promptly rejected all of the new furniture, on the basis that none of the desks were height adjustable. Our explanation that in the UK we provide adjustable chairs and footrests for most people didn't impress him, so an awful lot of money was wasted and we ended up with desks that no-one would even consider adjusting.

In my experience, many of the problems encountered with DSE are not down to the equipment, but the way it is being used, or should I say misused. Badly adjusted chairs, cluttered desks, loads of stuff under desks, people slouching in their chairs. I think a lot of the benefit of DSE assessments is the opportunity to educate people on the correct use of DSE. With the almost universal usage of DSE, the managers/executive chairs are somewhat of an anachromism, and totally unsuited to the modern office, where they will inevitably result in poor posture when using DSE.

I agree with some of the comments relating to varifocal users. The standard screen height recommended assumes no use of spectacles, or single vision specs, which is a problem for those with varifocal lenses, when the screen will inevitably be too high, and dare I say it, common sense has to be applied.

The only other alternative seat I have come across that can help is the kneeling back chairs that were quite popular some years ago (even our GP used one), which force you to sit upright with your spine balanced. However, you wouldn't want to use it all day, and it would be no good for anyone with knee problems.

As a bifocal wearer the bobbing you describe indicates a poorly manufactured / badly fitted prescription or damaged glasses that are not sitting correctly on the face. All this could be exassipated by a PC monitor installed "according to regs" rather than fitting the comfort of the individual.

No doubt some who personally have multi prescriptuion lenses for non-work purposes may find a separate single DSE prescription of benefit - as we are all individuals there will also be those who would benefit from provision of a multi-prescription pair of work glasses.