Posted By stew mcgregor
Hi,

Is there any guidance on temporary movement of workers concerning DSE. The reason I ask is that staff will be required to undertake training away from their normal workstation. The training is to last for approx 4 days and will consist of a high percentage of computer based training packages.

My argument is that staff who currently have specialist desk set-ups (Raised/lowered desks, whale mouses etc; as a result of a specialist risk assessment), should be moved into a like-for-like desk for the duration of the training to enable the employer to comply with DSE regs.

Under normal circumstances, staff with specialist set-ups are not required to move workstations (a hot desking policy is in place). I believe if they are required to move, then any risk assessment should be reviewed to ensure that any new workstation has suitable control measures in place to match the desk from which the individual has moved?

Posted By stew mcgregor
What I was trying to query is that if an individual has a specilaist workstation set-up and they are required to move, then should it be into an equivalent workstation?

For background purposes,in my workplace the procedure for DSE is as follows;

-Individual undertakes DSE training.
-Manager completes risk assessment alongside individual to ensure workstation is set-up correctly.
-Individual completes self-assessment checklist upon each workstation move (hot-desking in operation).

This is usually sufficient for 90% of individuals, however in some cases it is identified during a risk assessment that a standard workstation is not sufficient due to discomfort (due to height etc), or a medical condition. In such cases a specialist assesssment is arranged (usually with occupational health consultation) to decide if a desk is to be heightened, lowered, new chair required, or a whale mouse supplied etc.

Individuals who have such a set-up are exempt from hot desking and if for whatever reason they do move workstations, they are not permitted to raise or lower their own desk, or move/install hardware (this must be undertaken by I.T officers).

My point is that if such individuals are required to move workstation for training puposes (for 4 days), then isn't the onus upon the employer to ensure the temporary workstation is correctly set-up for to comply with DSE regulations?

The problem faced is that the employer is of the opinion that as the moves are only to be temporary (for training purposes), individuals with specialist workstation set-ups will not be moved into a like-for-like workstation for the duration of the training. These individuals will be required to make do with a normal workstation set-up that will not meet the requirements identified under their specialist assessment.