hand held PDA

Risk assessments locked in cabinets never see the light of day. No-one shares the fact they are available, you have to ask to see one. If you haven't perceived the hazards yourself you can't ask for a risk assessment because you are not aware of any hazard. It can be a nightmare. Although I can't comment on a global scale, or a UK scale. But I'd like to mention Carillion at my old place of work;

Engineers had a duplicate cabinet of all risk assessments other than the H&S Officers electronic/hard copy files. It was expected and practised to check up risk assessments before commencing any job. It was asked if near miss, out of date, not fit purpose be evaluated before starting work on a task. It does not take five minutes to evaluate documents you are well versed in. It indirectly saves lives and improves productivity by the lack of accidents from policing like this. Teamtalks, maybe only five minutes at times to run over the basic safety of using power tools, or working in voids be they confined spaces or not. To re-iterate the initiative to report near miss, to feedback results of reports made. It doesn't take five minutes!

This five minutes is based on everbody believing the culture of H&S as a tool to make work easier, more productive, safer... 5 minutes of regularly practising staff, regularly taking 5 minutes throughout the day before hours are spent on rectifying costly mistakes to broken machinery, losing productivity, profitability, customers. Safety saves money first. It is important to use safety to save a business cost and feed that back to the managers at the top. The benefit being a safe workplace with safe staff (hopefully).

Of course this 5 minutes is hours when applied to an organisation that doesn't make these actions and is just going to start the journey in to it.

Risk assessments locked in cabinets never see the light of day. No-one shares the fact they are available, you have to ask to see one. If you haven't perceived the hazards yourself you can't ask for a risk assessment because you are not aware of any hazard. It can be a nightmare. Although I can't comment on a global scale, or a UK scale. But I'd like to mention Carillion at my old place of work;

Engineers had a duplicate cabinet of all risk assessments other than the H&S Officers electronic/hard copy files. It was expected and practised to check up risk assessments before commencing any job. It was asked if near miss, out of date, not fit purpose be evaluated before starting work on a task. It does not take five minutes to evaluate documents you are well versed in. It indirectly saves lives and improves productivity by the lack of accidents from policing like this. Teamtalks, maybe only five minutes at times to run over the basic safety of using power tools, or working in voids be they confined spaces or not. To re-iterate the initiative to report near miss, to feedback results of reports made. It doesn't take five minutes!

This five minutes is based on everbody believing the culture of H&S as a tool to make work easier, more productive, safer... 5 minutes of regularly practising staff, regularly taking 5 minutes throughout the day before hours are spent on rectifying costly mistakes to broken machinery, losing productivity, profitability, customers. Safety saves money first. It is important to use safety to save a business cost and feed that back to the managers at the top. The benefit being a safe workplace with safe staff (hopefully).

Of course this 5 minutes is hours when applied to an organisation that doesn't make these actions and is just going to start the journey in to it.

This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

Some organisations regard RA's with absolute flippancy.

One company I have dealt with makes anyone write out a RA, which is then filed in an office.
People involved are not told that an RA is in existence, and when I asked the manager who is "apparently" the responsible person why aren't RA's completed as part of a consultation process with all involved she told me that as long as "someone has written something that's all that matters".

And she genuinely believes it too.

I know I sound like an old record, but this is what the UK is about, and sadly it is how we are now known worldwide by all those that have had direct dealings with us.
I am ashamed of these 'managers'.

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This post has been removed because it contravened our guidelines.

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Ok, I know that period could seam sort of 'low risk' by comparison with other display screens nevertheless, regardless of potential indicator of the user having a "refractive visual deficit" requiring an eye test it may have highlighted two other risk factors.

1. accessibility issues with presentation / format / flow of data on screen
2. has the guy undertaken an assessment for potential risk of Dyslexia ?

On average, in a study of undergraduate students (UCL 2006), who had already been diagnosed, assessed or charactorised to have or present Dyslexia type difficulties could only remain on-screen for around "five minutes" between between breaks !

Or are we solely talking about "Blackberry thumb" or what ?

Sean, I hope not, because it doesn't sound like they got it right. Unless it was left to someone in an HR function, that may not have been fully aware of how to carryout an appropriate DSE assessment.

Hi Guys many thanks for everyones comments, my engineers use these hand held PDAs for approximatly 20mins at a time 5 times a day on average.
The engineer in question is now on long term sick and under a physio. just hope our health and safety department carried out a risk assesment.

Hello

All tablet pc's need is a keyboard and a lid.


Barry L

Nigel, Thanks for the humour, and Dave you are correct. Tablet PC's are good for this type of work, but have limitations.

Again, its back to the DSE assessment before use. I am surprised the company's don't quite get the plot on any of their activities. Before making a decision on what you are going to use... STOP, THINK! and then consider the implications and consider alternative equipment or working methods.

Still, nothing like jumping in the deep end to see if you drown... eh? Oh yeah! I forgot, I can't swim. Doh!

i now believe that all mobile phone suppliers should carry out a DSE assessment with everyone who purchases a new phone so we all know the correct way to use one, especially smart and android types, or put a timer on the phone so it switches off after a set number of uses in the day.

I've heard of Blackberry thumb. I'm ok though, I've got a Samsung so I can't get that! Because a PDA has a screen it is display screen equipment. The evaluation here is how long is it used per duration and frequency. Is it really a struggle and is it reasonably practicable to spend time on training, information, supervision, assessing alternatives, procurring a perceived and new adequate product/software and the training that goes with it?

Throwing in a question - Should a multi drop driver who performs 20 drops a day, uses his or her PDA for about 60 seconds each drop, be considered a 'user' of display screen equipment? A risk assessment will answer this with the perceived risk of the hazard. Perception is individual though.

Guidance on holding it correctly so as to mitigate neck ache may be appropriate; Input of data probably best with a stylo rather than a finger tip, held firmly at head height or slightly lower, screen vertical to the floor at about 90 degrees, and so on.

Nige,
I was waiting for your comment on this one.
I think Martin may have been refering to tablets as in the type of display.

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Oooh you are wicked Martin, parret-seat-amol or a cocodomol hot drink just won't fix that one and for sure they will experience just the same symptoms that the majority of DSE operators do already, just don't mention, the "Screen Fatigue"..........

Of course, to a degree, still ergonomics related, just not that of the workstation so much but without a "display screen risk assessment" to assess whether the screen format and settings need adaptation or customising to optimise ease of accessibility the user is going to experience the eyestrain issues mentioned above regardless of any PPE glasses to correct any undiagnosed refractive acuity problems.

Tablets may be an alternative idea!