1.
Extent to which employers must ensure that workstations meet the
requirements laid down in this schedules
An employer shall ensure that a workstation meets the requirements l
aid down in this Schedule to the extent that-
(a) those requirements relate to a component which is present in the
workstation concerned;
(b) those requirements have effect with a view to securing the health,
safety and welfare of persons at work; and
(c) the inherent characteristics of a given task make compliance with
those requirements appropriate as respects the workstation
concerned.
2. Equipment
(a) General comment The use as such of the equipment must not be a
source of risk for operators or users.
(b) Display screen The characters on the screen shall be well-defined
and clearly formed, of adequate size and with adequate spacing
between the characters and lines.
The image on the screen should be stable, with no flickering or
other forms of instability.
The brightness and the contrast between the characters and the
background shall be easily adjustable by the operator or user, and
also be easily adjustable to ambient conditions.
The screen must swivel and tilt easily and freely to suit the needs of
the operator or user.
It shall be possible to use a separate base for the screen or an
adjustable table.
The screen shall be free of reflective glare and reflections liable to
cause discomfort to the operator or user.
(c) Keyboard The keyboard shall be tiltable and separate from the
screen so as to allow the operator or user to find a comfortable
working position avoiding fatigue in the arms or hands.
The space in front of the keyboard shall be sufficient to provide
support for the hands and arms of the operator or user.
The keyboard shall have a matt surface to avoid reflective glare.
The arrangement of the keyboard and the characteristics of the
keys shall be such as to facilitate the use of the keyboard.
The symbols on the keys shall be adequately contrasted and legible
from the design working position.
(d) Work desk or work surface The work desk or work surface shall
have a sufficiently large, low-reflectance surface and allow a
flexible arrangement of the screen, keyboard, documents and
related equipment.
The document holder shall be stable and adjustable and shall be
positioned so as to minimise the need for uncomfortable head and
eye movements.
There shall be adequate space for operators or users to find a
comfortable position.
(e) Work chair The work chair shall be stable and allow the operator or
user easy freedom of movement and a comfortable position.
The seat shall be adjustable in height.
The seat back shall be adjustable in both height and tilt.
A footrest shall be made available to any operator or user who
wishes one.
3. Environment
(a) Space requirements The workstation shall be dimensioned and
designed so as to provide sufficient space for the operator or user to
change position and vary movements.
(b) Lighting Any room lighting or task lighting provided shall ensure
satisfactory lighting conditions and an appropriate contrast
between the screen and the ckground environment, taking into
account the type of work and the vision requirements of the
operator or user.
Possible disturbing glare and reflections on the screen or other
equipment shall be prevented by co-ordinating workplace and
workstation layout with the positioning and technical
characteristics of the artificial light sources.
(c) Reflections and glare Workstations shall be so designed that sources
of light, such as windows and other openings, transparent or
translucid walls, and brightly coloured fixtures or walls cause no
direct glare and no distracting reflections on the screen.
Windows shall be fitted with a suitable system of adjustable
covering to attenuate the daylight that falls on the workstation.
(d) Noise Noise emitted by equipment belonging to any workstation
shall be taken into account when a workstation is being equipped,
with a view in particular to ensuring that attention is not distracted
and speech is not disturbed.
(e) Heat Equipment belonging to any workstation shall not produce
excess heat which could cause discomfort to operators or users.
(f) Radiation All radiation with the exception of the visible part of the
electromagnetic spectrum shall be reduced to negligible levels from
the point of view of the protection of operators' or users' health and
safety.
(g) Humidity An adequate level of humidity shall be established and
maintained.
4. Interface between computer and operator/user
In designing, selecting, commissioning and modifying software, and in
designing tasks using display screen equipment, the employer shall
take into account the following principles:
(a) software must be suitable for the task;
(b) software must be easy to use and, where appropriate, adaptable to
the level of knowledge or experience of the operator or user; no
quantitative or qualitative checking facility may be used without the
knowledge of the operators or users;
(c) systems must provide feedback to operators or users on the
performance of those systems;
(d) systems must display information in a format and at a pace which
are adapted to operators or users;
(e) the principles of software ergonomics must be applied, in particular
to human data processing.
