VDU Assessment Training Courses
There are very few companies who do not require their employees to use some form of display screen equipment in the work place. A VDU (Visual Display Unit) assessment is vital for anyone who uses display screen equipment as part of their job. Some of the known health issues as a result of using VDU’s are musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders. Several risk factors (physical, occupational, ergonomic, psychosocial and individual) react with each other in the development of these symptoms and disorders.
Due to the health and safety impact, VDU assessments are a legal requirement under the Health & Safety Regulations 1992 for any organisation whose employees uses a visual display unit/s for one hour or more each day. VDU requirements apply to any work station, regardless of who makes use of it. This therefore includes co-working spaces, remote working, temporary workplaces and your own offices.
As an employer, you are obligated to protect your employees from health risks and make sure your staff are completing their assessments.
VDU Assessments look at a number of factors to help you evaluate your current workstation layout. It then assesses the amount of risk from the way we use computers, laptops, tablets and other display screens at work. As with all risk assessments, the goal is to identify the risks and assess the likelihood and severity of harm to those that may be affected. Once the risks have been analysed, effective action can be taken to reduce it.
Visual Display Units are essentially any screen that plays the role of displaying information, so it covers quite a lot of equipment. Some of the most common display screen equipment include:
- Computers
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Smartphones
- Handheld devices
- TV screens
- CCTV screens
- Equipment display screens
- Projection screens
- Interactive whiteboards
It’s important to understand that completing a VDU assessment should not just be an induction exercise for new employees or a tick box exercise to comply with legal requirements. Unorganised workstations or workstations with an incorrect setup can result in neck, shoulder, back and arm pains, not to mention fatigue and eyestrain. VDU assessments help combat injury and ill health and therefore improve the overall health and productivity in the workforce.
VDU assesments are recommended to be done at least once per year.
What will set you apart
VDU Assesment courses are designed to enable individuals to perform ergonomic risk assessments in their workplace and advise others on the correct set up of workstations. By participating in a VDU assessment course, you will equip yourself to be able to:
- Understand the legal specifications with regards to VDU in the workplace
- Identify the ergonomic variables in work station design
- Identify the risks and assess them specific to each work station.
- Describe the musculoskeletal implications of using workstations and the associated prevention methods.
- Present relevant reports of ergonomic and VDU assessments to management.
Are VDU Assessment training courses for you?