health and safety, can anyone help ?

[sledge]

Contact the H&SE on their advice line. Discuss your concerns directly, they will advise you on relevent employee responsibilities and the correct way to tackle the issue, you dont have to give any names.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/index.htm

 

[sludgeguts]

It's been a while since I did the course but AFAIK the employer has a duty to supply equipment where reasonably practicable.
In this instance, the cost of a gel wrist rest & different mouse is mere pennies compared to the cost of the person being off long-term sick so it would be considered reasonably practicable.
I was given a trackball to use with a person with disabilities & found it so useful that I bought one myself (space being at a premium on my desk) and find that I can control the cursor with my thumb rotating the ball & my whole hand resting on the body of the mouse. Because my hand isn't moving I don't get the wrist pains.

 

[jug]

Jug, are you playing devils advocate?

as always

 

[ChrisUK]

Wow ive been using a computer for 3hours a day or more for about 5years straight and got no wrist ache back ache or the like suppose its due to posture .

Either way the employer has to undertake 'reasonable' measures for health and safety. It is under there rights to get a professional opinion before buying equipment like that as its not PPE. If your job needs PPE and your not supplied it your under right not to work until you are supplied with them.

Also a mouse gel pad is not classed PPE as wrist strain risk effects less than 50% of workers that use computers its not counted as PPE and an assesment has to be done if any pain arrises before the company HAS to pay for it.

Thats come directly from our health and safety officer who happened to be in the office at the time of me reading this post .
If he really has pain get a note from the doctor and that should stand some ground with them. I had a collegue who got a bad back from the office chair and he needed to get a note from a the consultant before the company would shell out for a special chair (£450!).

 

[jug]

Wow ive been using a computer for 3hours a day or more for about 5years straight and got no wrist ache back ache or the like suppose its due to posture .

i do 12 hours a day on my computer, but its honestly been at least 6 hours a day for 21 years, and i'm fine. i think the way you use your computer is more important than how much you use it. keeping the screen brightenss turned down and sitting in the correct position is more than half the battle. an aching mouse wrist suggest you're sitting too low.

 

[ChrisUK]

i do 12 hours a day on my computer, but its honestly been at least 6 hours a day for 21 years, and i'm fine. i think the way you use your computer is more important than how much you use it. keeping the screen brightenss turned down and sitting in the correct position is more than half the battle. an aching mouse wrist suggest you're sitting too low.

Yeah totally agree there. Modern day LCD's help alot too due to the lack of radiation compared to knackered old CRT's . The MOD obviously take health and safety seriously and as a result all CRT's are getting replaced with 17" TFT despite the age of the CRT. Its costing £1000's!

 

[sludgeguts]

As chris says, many people have extremely strange habits when they are using their computers. I've seen people sat really close, hunched over their keyboards, I've seen people holding their mouse, hovering it over the mat (like an overhead crane!). I've seen monitors placed directly on a desk (which is generally waist height - I think, if I could find my waist...) & I've seen setups where the keyboard & monitor at at 90 degrees so the user has to twist their body! I've seen instances where the IT dept has abandoned a working computer on a desk & the user has simply sat on a chair & got o with it - not bothering to move anything to suit them, not even bothering to adjust the height/angle etc of the chair.

I wonder if these same people would drive their cars in the same fashion - oh, hang on, some do.
They cling to the wheel for grim death, hands at five to one & practically biting the wheel as they stare over the top or their seat is fully back, forcing them to hold their arms out straight...

 

[jug]

They cling to the wheel for grim death, hands at five to one & practically biting the wheel as they stare over the top

aka girlracer

or their seat is fully back, forcing them to hold their arms out straight...

aka boyracer

both make me point and laugh

 

[sludgeguts]

aka girlracer


aka boyracer

both make me point and laugh

:devil:

I suppose the boyracers drive like that to give the impression of speed? "ooooh, look at me, I'm being forced into the back of my seat because I'm driving so fast..."

 

[SFB]

I'm with Jug all the way on this one, look after yourself and don't be a ninny.
Living in a namby pamby country like the UK and the way people play on their own inadequacies get's right up my nose.
I worked 14 years as a professional mechanic and bought all my own gear, the fact that I owned and ran the place is neither here nor there.

You break a tooth, you go to the dentist and pay?
Your eyesight fails, you go to the optician and buy specs?
Your wrist hurts, do something about or get a job as a builder's labourer and find out what work is really all about!

H&S? Never heard of it, it wasn't around when I was working!

 

[Nyx]

first para of every H & S poster - every employer has a duty of care to their employees. Says it all really.

Jug, are you playing devils advocate?

Yup but you always have people that know best, and are never wrong.

As for the broken tooth comment, if its something you`ve done to yourself fair enough, but if it is directly work related why should you.

Anyway they have ordered the keyboard and mouse supports.

So for ppl with the links and useful comments, thanks.

To the rest of you..well

 

[sikersh]

No worries, glad to help out

Some people on here think they know everything, when in reality they know eff all.

Si

 

[Hellcat]

Correct computer posture?

Leaning back, feet up, asleep?

 

[jug]

Some people on here think they know everything, when in reality they know eff all.

some people think they know what other people think

 

[Nyx]

Correct computer posture?

Leaning back, feet up, asleep?

or with a brew!

 

[SFB]

some people think they know what other people think

And some ask others because they don't know anything?