Nigel Dupree's newest comments

Wayne & Michelle - Studies may not have shown a specific change in refractive acuity of visual system over the short term nevertheless, over 15 years in other studies 58% of subjects reporting the debilitating affects of Screen Fatigue or CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome) and 28% require a corrective prescription for reading although,, for less than 12%, neither reading nor PPE screen glasses helped reduce the associated symptoms of DSE work related distress or RSI type harm from eye strain and headaches to neck and shoulder pain or more serious upper body or muscular-skeletal disorders.(HSE RR561 2007)

Sooo, regardless of other EU states approach including full health screening for DSE user operators the UK has chosen the MINIMUM requirement for employers to provide FREE PPE equipment and as a pair of steel toe capped boots would be of little use in mitigating the risks or hazards for screen user operator interface a pair of single prescription screen glasses is all that is currently available.

However, this maybe all about to change when the new EU MSD Directive is published as it has been recognised that the EEC Manual Handling & DSE Directive 1990 let alone UK's version DSE Reg's 92 and revisions early 2000 have remained " ineffective " and has not reduced reported harm or injuries.

Not surprising really as although it says Display Screen Equipment on the tin the focus of attention has been almost solely on the "workstation" and little or no attention has been given to the DSE nor interface between the screen and user operator - Doh

All I know is that when put out for consultation there was a bit of resilience to the wording that included "stress" and that put the wind up a few employers and other bodies. However, I suspect it will remain in the final document in some form or maybe opened wider by using the word "Well-being" and it will be interesting to see how the UK translates that into our health and safety legislation.

Work/life balance may have become an irrelevance as there is little or no 'escape' from thinking or at very least being aware of work 24/7 as pressure / demand has insidiously invaded the waking hours and for those most "at risk" sleeping hours of more and more employees stress, and not in a good way, over work.

Working through breaks and eating in harness at your desk should be ringing alarm bells let alone taking " it " home with you as by the time 'it' is affecting your sleep you're well on the road to suffering performance anxiety and the ultimate escape being mentally or physically ill.

Of course, whilst not being flippant, in the use of the phrase "ultimate escape" tends, over time, to manifest in a stress related NCD (Non-Communicable Disease) and ultimately death.........

No wonder the WHO, UN, EU and UK have started "nudge" campaigns to foster healthier life-styles as collateral damage to human resources can increasing be blamed on the friendly fire of "omission" to address Well-Being or the health of the nations resources earlier regardless of the obvious deterioration in asset management across the pond that was surely going to be reflected over here in time and surprise, surprise, Bob's your uncle and, here we are stressed out, self-medicating, overweight bunnies..

Just as everyone is getting used the "mind the gap" warnings in occupational health between the way it "ought to be" and the way "what it is" where stress has become the order of the day as a norm and the employee is just expected to cope or tolerate until the point of exhausted adaptation presents and/or manifests in ill-health sufficient to enforce "escape" from the work-related stressor - simple'ssss

Nevertheless, as the WHO, UN and EU wake up to the very real threats to human resources well-being founded in long-term stress (Whitehall II Study) and non-communicable diseases (NCD's) like WULD's & MSD's as well as the costs of socio-psychological stress both on performance and productivity and society as a whole.

Soo, time to get pro-social and pro-active rather than just re-active closing the gate after the animal has escaped in terms of absence, presenteeism or sickness.

After all you would expect to have a planned and routine maintenance programs in place for any other bit of production line equipment why not asset management of human resources ????????????

Hi DF, an interesting question as the now defunct CRB check and it's replacement comes in two parts for evaluating level of risk 1. criminal record and 2. enhanced check against sexually related crimes where the individual is listed on their register.

Poverty or incapacity to look after the children is not as far as I am aware a crime and unless there were a degree of abuse associated with the children at risk being removed that resulted in court action and request for registration as an unfit person too look after children or vulnerable adults it is unlikely that there it be formally recorded in that way.

So whilst the scenario sounds sad unless subject to criminal action and recording / registering some offence this scenario should not affect or prevent employment in a caring position and may in fact be a qualification in terms of the individual making up for any caring deficits in the past ?

Should make a good even provocative essay prompting discussion.....

Is there a pre-prepared risk assessment on file and/or resultant preventative / mitigative policy actually there in the first place or does the employee suspect or believe the employer may not have one or that it is not nor has not been implemented or "effective" as it appears to be a big secret.

So much for duty of care, open and transparent management where elf-an-safety has been covered by a need to know policy and/or Data Protection - Doh

I have to say there actions do beggar belief regardless of the operators contributory negligence in trying to stabilise an already unstable load but who knows how much pressure or demand was felt by the operator should he have been in fear of making a mistake and damaging the goods ?

Doh, is it me or am I being counter intuitive and the two not inextricably linked, a Rose by another name is surely still a spade, to mix my metaphors, all we are talkin about is one of many hazards or human risks factors associated with work/life related stress in the general chain of causation insidiously leading to 'predictable' performance deficit founded in fatigue, disaffection, vigilance decremation, performance anxiety, presenteeism, loss of any sense of well-being, absenteeism and ultimately ill-health and death..............

Perhaps it's a question of measurement ? At what point does work/life balance become subjectively perceived as a problem or objectively imbalanced ? What are the thresh-holds beyond which the hazard becomes a predictable risk and how is that scaled in terms of consequences ?

I think, however well meant, it misses the critical occupational safety issue underpinning the flip-point between positive work ethic and high degree of satisfaction of working harder or longer and the "event horizon" or factor that transforms the pressure and demands for performance and productivity into a significant hazard to work/life health.

Simply, taking it home with you as fatigue turns into performance anxiety !!!

Meaning & purpose along with working hard, job satisfaction and sleeping well are supportive of well-being and a more balanced quality of life and life-style whereas, poor relationship management, little perceived meaning or purpose and fatigue can be a powerfully debilitating mix of factors exacerbating inevitable decline in any sense of well-being let alone performance. Not rocket science..........

Custom and practice good regardless of minimums prescribed by legislation that was to prevent workhouse employers playing fast and loose with the occupational health of their employees there still needs to be a "Risk Assessment" of any activity that is either physically and/or emotional or mentally intense and therefore potentially injurious to the individuals health.

We are not just talking about normal periods of hard graft that maybe temporarily continuous work to meet specific deadlines but the ergonomics of sustainability of performance / productivity as well as the "predictable affects" on well-being.

Soo, with two periods of time off for work-related stress (fatigue) injury presenting or manifesting in life threatening episode of ill-health I shouldn't think they will not have much of a problem claiming constructive dismissal on the grounds of gross negligence in not making reasonable adjustments for a known disabled person carrying a work-related injury.

Perhaps someone needs to check out the "costs of death in service" as any fatigued organisms ultimate escape or adaptation to a debilitating stressor ?

Naa, don't need an offer letter or acceptance for a 'vocation' that is a given but, as noted employment where there is an employer as distinct and separate from self does make you an employee whether a minister, nurse, policeman, train or JCB driver.

If, unpaid then, it's a hobbie or your a volunteer nevertheless, if you come to harm on someone else's property you would still be entitled to make a claim for injury......unless, of course, it was and act of God or force major....

Sooo, the unfair dismissal was not an act of God then ?

I wonder what their insurers are going to have to say about that then !

Gotto be driven by WHO & their focus on reducing work-related NCD's linked by Whitehall II longitudinal study highlighting the sense of justice or injustice in the workplace and it's affect on well-being in terms of the hooman organisms ultimate escape plan, when fight/flight stress survival reaction denied or ignored for long enough, ill health & early death.

Interesting to note that collateral damage to workforce if not only being blamed on employee lifestyle but recognising the significant exacerbating effects of friendly fire or psychosocial stressors in the workplace.

Of course, the MDC's going bust is going to increased pressures and demand on those still trading that are left and that is going to cascade down from above as businesses fight for survival just a shame they don't even consider the benefits of better relationship management and flatter, more inclusive management style rather than going into the mushroom business .................

You're not wrong Craig and there is nothing new about the problem except it is now being recognised under the generic euphemistic banner of "Well-Being" as a sort of softer option and perhaps less stigmatised than mental health & mental illness.

Nevertheless, of course, the links between emotional literacy, self-advocacy and just good "relationship management" depends simply on being non-judgemental and having at least some positive regard for one's peers as a professional manager who is able to maintain a distance between their professional & personal ideologies. (Just talking the talk ain't no good if ya can't walk the walk)

Tiredness and fatigue can only be exacerbated by work/life stressors so why anyone is surprised or unable to identify or recognise others manifesting irascible over defencive behaviours as a potentially debilitating well-being issue that will need addressing before performance anxiety affects not only the individual's productivity but the moral of their peers.

Whether a question of perceiving of feeling "approval deprived" or whether there is an insidious low level of unintentional sort of bullying the results in terms of occupational health and well-being are the same poor performance & ill-health will follow as sure as eggs are eggs my Mum would say.....

Perhaps at this time of year the concept of making New Years resolutions is a good one and perhaps a visit to the late Tim Fielding's www.bullyonline.org would remind us all how harmful poor relationship management can be.

Seassons greetings to all and trust the Christmas break has a restorative affect on all our 'sense of humour' as a powerful defence to the stressors of work/life.

Worrying when "internal customer service" reflects external customer experience of systemic closing of institutional ranks in any organisation where the collateral damage is known (let alone should be known) and "Friendly Fire" of denial and omission to react can only be described as "constructive negligence"..........

If, supposed to have adopted ethos of "continuous development" then fear and anxiety as a patient / customer or employee should be recognising ANY concern, situation or problem as a genuine "opportunity" to be "solution focused" regardless of disconnect in terms of open and transparent free communication horizontally or vertically even in an hierarchical management structure.

Then, of course, we are talking about dotgov systemic "wants" and not "needs" especially in an environment that should intuitively or clearly be driven by the expectation of basic set of "given conditions" required in a safety critical workplace.

Stuffed if you do stuffed if you don't - a cracking catch '22' scenario.......and of course there is that word again 'reasonably' - ho hum

Confuse-ious say confusion reigns Criminal Records are no ones business if 'spent' sooo who cares and may even qualify the individual to have a wider experience of life anyway.

What some appear to be getting their knickers in a twist over is the difference between what used to be known as an 'enhanced' CRB check that confirmed individuals were "not known" to have committed crimes of a sexual nature and were not included on the register of offenders (Formally list 99)

Personal details of anyone come under the Data Protection legislation other than safety critical information that may be shared between agencies and/or individuals responsible for those vulnerable or at risk - simple'sss

CRB however, are not proof of identity and nor are they currently transferable although the do belong to the applicant and their employer is obligued to keep a copy in their secure records.

Yaa, for sure company cars and vans always have been the fastest vehicles on the road I'm not sure ever seen a Sprinter doin less than 90 perhaps it's in the name or the number of drops or appointments or service calls made?

Sooo, now we have officially confirmed what has been denied for ever what does that mean ?

1. Risk Assessment
2. Advanced driver training
3. Fitting of GPS trackers
4. Black-box being fitted
5. Limiters being fitted

What ?

Or just making drivers contributory responsible for accidents by linking risk to company cover and their own business use or no-claims bonus on their own insurance ?

Or shifting group cover to include individually named drivers ?

Or what ?

Or just a hindsight foresight thing prior to premiums going up ?

Why the sort of surprise ? Everyone will always find a shed load of reasons why not and will rarely find 'opportunities' when a problem will do......

After all why would you want to recognise mediocre or poor performance let alone conserve or even improve the status quo, conditions, climate, culture or wellbeing whateveeer.

No time for transitional leadership just tokenistic talking the talk last thing you wanna do is walk the walk and actually make a difference - far tooo risky and could mark you out as a trouble maker trying to rock the boat so doing nothing is a much better nay safer option.

Have a same ole same old day, stay under the radar and just muddle along.

Not only that but their contribution accounted for @ £8/hr plus expenses soooo yes, your are responsible and have a "Duty of Care" of anyone else who invites someone into their domain employer or otherwise - Doh

Now then, what do they mean by confusion ? Perhaps their feeling like estate agents working to support the 'needs' of the vendor but, also sort of befriending & promoting the 'wants' of the purchaser and not sure how good a negotiator they actually are or concerned that their emotional literacy is being put to the test!

Maybe, mediation not in their job description nor something that they are going to be paid for either especially when patient returning to the environment that maybe the cause of their patients work related illness?

So what about a "Fit Workplace" risk assessment as well as a 'fit to work' certificate !!!

Yea but no but yes like you know it's gonna be back to bite you in the bum....

For sure they don't need to know on application and when invited for interview you can genuinely answer that you don't actually need any special considerations to attend an interview then you have answered truthfully but, when it comes to supplying medical info you will have to disclose at that point if your oversight is not to provide an excuse or reason to dismiss for withholding what may prove critical occupation health info in due course.

Also if a Dyslexia type disability this will affect your performance and productivity especially impairing your digital literacy and increasing risk of suffering Screen Fatigue or Computer Vision Syndrome and predictably, over time, WULD's & MSD's !!!!

Preventative and mitigative screen aids and optimisation tool kits are currently being Beta Tested for DSE user operators and should be available soon in time for new EU MSD Directive currently being prepared for next year so don't worry work related screen fatigue & accessibility issues are now being addressed.