Safe working practices By Ryan Porter

Employer regulations The law states that an employer must be provided with: Tiltable screen Anti-glare screen filters Adjustable chairs Foot supports Make sure lighting is suitable Make sure workstations are not cramped Plan work so there are frequent breaks Pay for eye tests from opticians.

General working environment ; There should be no trailing wires. No food or liquid near machines. Electrical sockets must not be overloaded An adequate amount of space around a machine. Suitable ventilation and heating must be suitable. Suitable lighting with no glare or reflection. Strong benches which will support computers.

Possible problems and solutions. Back problems; Most computer users suffer from back problems in later life as an effect of sitting in a poor position which can cause spine damage. This problem can be easily solved/ avoided by doing the following; adjustable chairs, footrests and tiltable screens. You can see images on the next slide of solutions on the next slide.

Footrests Suitable desk length to prevent hunched body. Tiltable screen. Adjustable chair

Possible problems and solutions Eye strain; Eyes become strained after staring at a computer screen too long. Flickering screens can also affect the eyes after a long period of time. To avoid this, have a computer that does not flicker, has a non glare screen and make sure you take frequent breaks. It also helps to have good lighting to avoid the eyes working to hard to concentrate on the screen.

Possible problems and solutions RSI ( repetitive strain injury); Repetitive strain injury is caused by repeating movements over a long period of time. This can happen to any computer user. To prevent this take frequent breaks from typing. Or to help in the future do wrist exercises to strengthen them.

Possible problems and solutions Ozone irritation ; Health experts have recently found that laser printers can cause breathing problems. To avoid this you should sit at least a meter away from a printer and the room should have good ventilation.