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Posts Tagged ‘display screen equipment’
- Outsourcing of H&S provision will continue to grow
- Companies will start to see cost savings and cost avoidance if out sourcing is managed properly
CARDINUS Risk Management has revealed its health and safety predictions for the new year with a warning to companies outsourcing their H&S provision.
According to a senior Cardinus executive, there are risks involved with outsourcing health and safety and getting it wrong could mean long term reputational damage.
Jon Abbott, managing director of ergonomics and safety at Cardinus, said, “With the economy continuing to flounder, more organisations will begin to outsource their H&S provision. This can be a dangerous approach if not properly thought through. Issues that are not considered high-risk may not get the attention they need, so accidents may happen because companies have taken their eye off the ball. Any damage to a company’s reputation caused in the short term could take years to mend.
“Companies that outsource for compliance reasons forget about the positive effects of health and safety. All the behaviour change cost savings, cost avoidance and productivity improvements may be lost as a result of a poorly-managed outsourcing programme.”
Companies considering the decision to outsource their health and safety provision should look to established companies with proven expertise and a trusted reputation. For more information about Cardinus Risk Management and its wide range of products and services, call 020 7469 0200, email info@cardinus.com or visit www.cardinus.com.
– ENDS –
Cardinus directors, experts and consultants are available for interview and quotes on industry issues. The full range of Cardinus consultancy services can be seen on its website, www.cardinus.com or you can telephone 0207 469 0200 (UK) 1-866-966-3420 (US).
About Cardinus
Cardinus is a member company of THB Group plc and provides online injury reduction solutions and risk management within the safety, fleet and property sectors.
Established in 1995, Cardinus has an enviable track record of working with government and leading blue chip organizations. Cardinus provides solutions to customers across the United Kingdom, the US and worldwide. Solutions include ‘Workstation Safety Plus’ a software solution designed to reduce the risks associated with using DSE and ergonomics; a comprehensive fleet risk solution that combines in-vehicle driver training with online self-assessment; property solutions including fire risk surveys, asbestos assessment and a range of e-learning courses. Cardinus Environmental provides a range of services, including Environmental Essentials.
Cardinus Risk Management Limited, Phoenix House, Cantelupe Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3BE. Cardinus Risk Management Limited, 10 Flag Business Exchange, Vicarage Farm Road, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 5SL. For further information please call Cardinus Risk Management Limited on 020 7469 0200 or email info@cardinus.com
Conference Features Strategies and Products for Dealing with a Recovering Economy, Healthcare & Workers’ Comp Costs
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 23, 2010 – The 16th Annual National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition (ErgoExpo) at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, November 30 – December 3, will highlight the importance of workplace ergonomics in a time of economic recovery. ErgoExpo’s core educational topics of safety, return on investment, increasing productivity, managing healthcare and workers’ comp costs, and the aging workforce will be coupled with workplace specific conference tracks for office, industrial, lab, healthcare, 24/7 and uncontrolled environments including energy, utility, and maintenance.
Problems such as back pain are a major cause of sickness absence in office-based work. Richard Graveling highlights what to consider when setting up an ergonomically-sound workplaceMany people will have heard of ‘ergonomics’ (or human factors) and many will have their own idea of what it is all about. Some will have encountered ‘ergonomic chairs’, ‘ergonomic keyboards’, or other furniture and equipment with the label ‘ergonomics’. Sometimes the label is justified but, on other occasions, it seems little more than a useful marketing tool.
Ergonomics (or human factors) is concerned with the understanding of the interactions among human and other elements of a system, in order to optimise wellbeing (including the risk of injury) and overall system performance. In the office ‘system’ this can cover physical, environmental and psychological aspects of office work and its organisation, not just the desks and computers. This article will outline the physical elements of the office but it is important to recognise that this is only part of the story.
Why bother with ergonomics?
A survey of over 1,300 office computer users, from a total of 130 organisations from throughout the UK, carried out by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that nearly three quarters of respondents reported one or more musculoskeletal symptom. According to HSE figures, in 2007/08 an estimated 539,000 people in Great Britain, who worked in the last year, suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder they believed to have been caused or made worse by their work. Between them they accounted for an estimated 8.8 million working days lost, averaging an estimated 16.4 days off per person affected.
It is clear that, in office-based work as with many other sectors, problems such as back and neck pain and upper limb disorders are a major cause of sickness absence from work, with many other people functioning at a reduced capability whilst remaining at work.
Ergo Journal regularly publish articles, tips and advice on how to arrange your office workstation in an attempt to raise awareness of basic workstation ergonomics and reduce the stresses we each face on a daily basis.
With laptop computers now firmly outstripping sales of desktop computers around the globe, additional consideration by individuals and employers should be given to workstation ergonomics if the laptop is going to be used for any reasonable amount of time in one place.
I use a laptop myself and make sure I practice what I preach by using a laptop stand to lift the screen height, a dedicated mini keyboard, wrist rest, ergonomic chair and so on as I predominantly use my laptop whilst at my desk in the office.
We recently discovered a highly insightful white paper published by Ergoton, specialists in display mounting technology. The white paper is based on academic research spanning 25 years on the subject of comfortable computing and is entitled: Comfortable Portable Computing: The ergonomic way.
In a recent report published in the U.S. We are informed of how ‘Technology has brought huge advances in the power and capability of the machines which support us in our work. The human machine evolves at a somewhat slower pace. The result: workplaces which can at times resemble medieval torture chambers, at least as far as our necks, eyes and hands are concerned! The adaptation of machine to man is the concept of Ergonomics. Ergonomic products seek to enhance the interface between technology and the human form. Ergonomics attempts to identify the physical points of stress, and then minimize or eliminate that stress through superior design of workstations.
The economy of ergonomic improvements is reported in case studies in Swedish companies. Poor workplace ergonomics and related musculoskeletal problems were already known and had caused repeated sick-leave periods at the companies. Expenses associated with certain preventive activities were accounted for the financial effects. When costs were compared to gains, the improvements appeared to be highly profitable. (Kristina Kemmlert, Solna, Sweden)
There are still a lot of people who do not realize that the body pains they bear are often attributed to the bad ergonomics in the office. According to ergonomics, no matter how healthy a person is, once he or she is forced to work using office products with bad ergonomics, he or she can develop a world of medical problems such as upper and lower back pain, leg, hip, and neck pain, as well as severe headaches and migraines. (Tomer Harel, How Ergonomic Office Products can Improve your Life)’
We are often asked: What is ergonomics?
According to The International Ergonomics Association, ergonomics is defined as:
‘Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.’
Put simply, the science of designing and arranging products and the local environment to minimize the risk of injury and maximize productivity.
Poor ergonomics (or understanding of ergonomics) could lead to a Repetitive Strain Injury, which can be incredibly painful for the sufferer and can lead to loss of productivity to employers, it is therefore big business!
WorkRite has teamed up with Newcastle International Airport’s nationally-acclaimed training academy to run fire safety courses throughout the country.
WorkRite is already one of the UK’s leading providers of workplace health, safety and first aid training. Now, by partnering with the team at Newcastle Airport, it is also able to offer its expanding roster of blue-chip corporate clients high quality, practical and realistic fire safety training.
Geoff Thompson, national sales manager of WorkRite’s parent company, Posturite Ltd, said: “Whether you are a small company that requires basic extinguisher training or a large organisation with various levels of risks identified within the workplace, we can provide you with a comprehensive training package to ensure your company meets current health and safety legislation.”
For over ten years Cardinus Risk Management has been supplying DSE/ ergonomics safety solutions to many of the worlds’ largest organisations.
During this time we have helped our customers comply with regional and national regulations (such as the Display Screen Equipment regulations), reduce injuries and improve productivity.
This report comprises a collection of articles that we feel may have special interest for Health & Safety professionals seeking to deliver results from their ergonomics program.
Click to download the full Whitepaper from Cardinus Risk Management
It will help the reader to view personal injury claims through the eyes of the legal profession and provide some different perspectives relating to how safety can be ‘marketed’ to management and employees.
Legal Duties
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 implement an EC Directive and came into effect from January 1993 (some small changes were made in 2002). The Regulations require employers to minimise the risks in VDU work by ensuring that workplaces and jobs are well designed.
Guidance
Display screen equipment (DSE) is any work equipment having a screen that displays information. Typical examples are computer screens often called monitors or VDUs. Computer workstations or equipment can be associated with neck, shoulder, back or arm pains, fatigue and eyestrain. These aches and pains are sometimes called upper limb disorders (ULDs) or repetitive strain injuries (RSI). These problems can be avoided by following good practice.
The Regulations apply where staff habitually uses VDUs as a significant part of their normal work. Other people, who use VDUs only occasionally, are not covered by the requirements in the Regulations (apart from the workstation requirements). However, their employers still have general duties to protect them under other health and safety at work legislation.
The Regulations do not place any duties on the self-employed. However, parts of them apply if you habitually use a VDU for a significant part of your normal work and are using a client employer’s workstation. The client employer has to assess and reduce risks, ensure the workstation complies with the minimum requirements and provide information, as if you were an employee. But there is no requirement for employers to plan work breaks, or provide eye tests or training for the self-employed. Additionally the Regulations apply if you are an employee working at home, and habitually using a VDU for a significant part of your normal work.