Chapter 7

Chapter 7

1. The health and safety act was introduced in 1974 and it shares the responsibilities for a safe workplace between the employee and employer.

2. There are many reasons why people who work with computers stuffer from stress.

   • People suffer from stress because they worry that their job will be taken over by computers and that they will find it harder to get a new job. Email inboxes can fill up quickly, employees find it hard to separate their personal life from their work.

3. Eye strain can cause headaches and blurry vision, it can also cause the feelings of sickness, tiredness and itchy eyes.

   • Employees should take a break of at least 5 minutes every hour, The computer screens should be cleaned regularly and the brightness and contrast should be adjusted. Screen filters could help reduce some of the eye strain.

4. Sitting at a computer all day without taking sensible precautions can cause serious injuries to an employees back or neck.

   • To prevent theses, a good posture would help as well as having a fully adjustable chair with a footrest so both feet can be flat on a hard surface.

5. Repetitive strain injury (RSI) can be caused by using a keyboard for long periods of time without breaks. Thus could also be caused by poor posture when sitting at a computer.

   • Employees should be trained in the importance of adjusting their chair and using a wrist rest. Also they should be encouraged to take a break every hour.

6. Ergonomics is the design of safe and comfortable working environments, with this many health and safety problems can be avoided.

7. In an office environment, care needs to be taken regarding the height of desks and how easy it is to reach equipment that is used often, such as telephones.