By law, every employer must perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of workstations (Regulation 2, Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992).
Information provided by users is an essential part of an assessment. But the employer has to “Arrange training for users on the risks, and safe behaviour and practices” and also arrange training for “workstation assessors”. Involving workers actively in the assessments is good practice, but who among us has been trained? The guidance to the regulations emphasise that “Whatever type of checklist is used, employers should ensure workers have received the necessary training before being asked to complete one.” (their bolding, not mine).
The user filling in the checklist should only be the first stage, not the whole assessment. A properly trained workstation assessor should go over the completed checklists, clarify any doubtful points, and tackle problems that the user can’t solve. This assessor is likely to be the trained safety co-ordinator in the school. So it seems to me that the instruction to staff from the Heads of Directorate that “Any issues arising from your DSE Workstation Assessment should be discussed with me as your Line Manager” could be questioned. It might be worth enquiring as to the extent of their training.
Of course, other factors, including rest breaks and office conditions - particularly humidity - can also be very important in the development of screen-related problems. Assessments should also be reviewed in the light of room changes, software changes etc.
The University of Salford code of practice is here:
http://www.hr.salford.ac.uk/docs/Display%20Screen%20Equipment%20Code%20of%20Practice%20Ver5.doc
The HSE guide is also useful:
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