Case Study Details
Simon Walker, Occupational Health and Hygiene Manager at Stork Ltd organised Fit4Work to deliver their IOSH Approved DSE Assessor Training Course at their Head Office in Inverness.
Fourteen trainees attended this interactive and informative course.
Topic areas covered on the course:
Who is a DSE User
What constitutes a workstation (Word Search Activity)
Types of Injuries which are caused by working at the workstation
Statistics of injuries working at the workstation Employers and Employees responsibilities
Legislation (Health and Safety DSE
Anatomy (to appreciate the effects of a slumped posture on the spine, including the cervical and lumbar region and shoulder joint impingement.
Correct sitting posture (Slouch over Correct exercise which requires trainees participation)
Specific injuries (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Disc prolapse, Tennis Elblow, De Quervains Tendinitis)
Pregnancy
Employees with additional needs due to disability
Correct workstation set up including chair adjustments (Practical demonstration)
Which equipment is best suited to different employee needs eg. footrest, document holder, ergonomic mouse, keyboard without numbers to the right, height adjustable desk, voice recognition software
End of course assessment (Theory and Practical Paper)
During the day several questions were raised and discussed and therefore created a further learning experience for all concerned.
How to address employees who hot desk on a regular basis?
How to carryout workstation risk assessments for employees who work from home?
How often should pregnant ladies be assessed?
Is there a recognised number of assessors to a number of employees?
Why do you recommend office chairs without armrest?
Several different make and models of chairs which are currently being used by the company were examined by Angela Hinton the Director of Fit4Work this was to establish their suitability.
For instance, did the backrest move forwards enough to support the correct alignment of the spine of the person using it. Was the seat pan long enough to support their lower limbs. Did the chair’s armrest lower sufficiently enough in order for the chair to be pushed under the desk?
