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Protecting eyes from computer screen
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Health and safety
Computer and Health
There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers, and because of this employers must be aware of the regulations surrounding computer health and safety.
- Employer regulations
- General working environment
- Possible dangers and solutions
- Glossary
Employer regulations
The law states that an employer must:
- Provide tiltable screens
- Provide anti-glare screen filters
- Provide adjustable chairs
- Provide foot supports
- Make sure lighting is suitable
- Make sure workstations are not cramped
- Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks
- Pay for appropriate eye and eyesight tests by an optician
Note:These regulations apply only to offices - not to students or pupils in schools or colleges.
In order to provide the satisfactory equipment for their employees, employers use ergonomics to assist the equipment design process. It is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans. This includes furniture design and the design of parts of the computer like keyboards.
General working environment
Don't forget that rules for all electrical appliances apply in a computer room. This means:
- There should be no trailing wires
- Food and drink should not be placed near a machine
- Electrical sockets must not be overloaded
- There must be adequate space around the machine
- Heating and ventilation must be suitable
- Lighting must be suitable with no glare or reflections
- Benches must be strong enough to support the computers.
Possible dangers and solutions
Within Information Technology it is important that people have an awareness of the various health and safety issues. Steps should also be taken towards preventing common problems rather than trying to cure them at a later date.
Back problems
Many computer users suffer serious back problems. This is probably due to a poor posture or an awkward position while sitting at a computer.
Solutions
A fully adjustable chair should avoid poor posture
Footrests can reduce these problems
Screens should tilt and turn to a position that avoids awkward movements
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is damage to the fingers, wrists and other parts of the body due to repeated movements over a long period of time.
Solution
To prevent RSI, make sure your posture is correct, use wrist rests and have a five-minute break from typing every hour.
Eyestrain
Eyes can become strained after staring at a computer screen for a long time, particularly if working in bad light, in glare or with a flickering screen.
Solutions
Screen filters can remove a high percentage of the harmful rays emitted from a computer screen
Use screens that do not flicker
Take regular breaks - do not work for more than one hour without a break
Lighting must be suitable and blinds fitted to windows to reduce glare
Ozone irritation
Health experts have suggested that ozone emitted from laser printers can lead to breathing problems.
Solution
It is recommended that laser printers should be situated at least one metre away from where people are sitting and there should be good ventilation in the area.
Glossary
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans. This includes furniture design and the design of parts of the computer like keyboards.
Repetitive Strain Injury
RSI - damage to the fingers,wrists and other parts of the body due to repeated movements over a long period of time.
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Vision / eye strain
Visual problems, such as eyestrain and irritation, are among
the most frequently reported complaints by computer operators. These
visual symptoms can result from improper lighting, glare from the
screen, poor positioning of the screen itself, or copy material that is
difficult to read. These problems usually can be corrected by adjusting
the physical and environmental setting where the computer users work.
For example, work stations and lighting can and should be arranged to
avoid direct and reflected glare anywhere in the field of sight, from
the display screen, or surrounding surfaces.
You also can reduce eyestrain by taking vision breaks, which
may include exercises to relax eye muscles after each hour or so of
operating a computer. Changing focus is another way to give eye muscles
a chance to relax. You only need to glance across the room, or out the
window, from time to time and look at an object at least 20 feet away.
Other eye exercises may include rolling or blinking the eyes, or
closing them tightly for a few seconds.
Computer eye strain
Very few jobs today do not require long periods of time in front of a computer. The great irony of course is that the human body is not designed to accommodate all the hours spent in front of a computer, and so we often end up with backaches, headaches, sore eyes and wrists, and a few extra kilograms. It is therefore important to manage your health through workstation planning and good work habits.
Your eyes and the computer.
Staring at a screen for long hours places immense stress on your eyes because they were not designed to work at such a close range for long periods of time. Furthermore, the constant shift in focus (between the screen, documents and the keyboard) only makes matters worse and eventually you end up with a condition called eye strain.
Eye strain is an umbrella term for a wide range of symptoms including:
Headaches, Tired, sore eyes, Eye irritation, Blurred vision
What things should you do if using a computer for a long time for Health reasons?
Computer work can be quite strenuous for the body, especially for the eyes, the back, the wrist and the hand.
The first thing to do is to have a good position in a nice environment: comfortable straight chair, monitor and keyboard at the right height and distance, quite room, well lit.
There are several ways to minimise eye strain. Modern flat screens are better than standard monitors. Also, special screen filters that fit in front of a monitor are good for the eyes.
Can you tell me two health and two safety risks that need to be considered when using computers, or just give examples because i don't understand the difference?
Health & Safety risks include anything that can affect your well-being, physical fitness or endanger your life. Here are some ideas of what type of risks these include with regard to computer equipment:
Health
Using laser printers can affect your health if they are not properly positioned in a ventilated space. This is because fumes are given off when the printer is going through the process of producing a printed page.
Using computer equipment can affect your health if it is not correctly and ergonomically set-up. By this we mean - correct desk, chair and keyboard heights; proper positioning of monitor and lighting around it; use of wrist rests for mouse and keyboards. The health effects of poorly set up working environments can include eye strain; repetitive strain injury on joints and muscles; back aches.
I would like to have some points which will help me write my own notes on the topic: the social,ethical,legal and economic implications of computer use.
Here are some points to get you started:
Research, identify and discuss changing trends in computer
use as a result of developments in computer technology. Remember,
computers don't just include PCs, but anything with built-in computing
power such as mobile phones, CD/DVD players, digital cameras etc.
Explain why computers are best suited for tasks requiring
speed, accuracy and repetition.
Explain changes to society (consumers) brought about by the
introduction and use of computer systems.
Describe the impact of computers on jobs.
