Regulation 72

Minimum Requirements for all Display Screen Equipment

1. Equipment

(a) Display screen

(i) The characters on the screen shall be well defined and clearly formed, of adequate size and with adequate spacing between the characters and lines.

(ii) The image on the screen shall be stable, with no flickering or other forms of instability.

(iii) The brightness or the contrast (or both) between the characters and the background shall be easily adjustable by the employee and easily adjustable to ambient conditions.

(iv) The screen shall be free of reflective glare and reflections liable to cause discomfort to a user.

(v) The screen shall be able to swivel and tilt easily and freely to suit the needs of the user.

(vi) It shall be possible to use either a separate base for the screen or an adjustable table.

(b) Keyboard

(i) The keyboard shall have a matt surface to avoid reflective glare.

(ii) The arrangement of the keyboard and the characteristics of the keys shall be such as to facilitate the use of the keyboard.

(iii) The symbols on the keys shall be adequately contrasted and legible from the design working position.

(iv) The keyboard shall be tiltable and separate from the screen so as to allow the user to find a comfortable working position which avoids fatigue in the arms or hands.

(v) The space in front of the keyboard shall be sufficient to provide support for the hands and arms of the user.

(c) Work desk or work surface

(i) The work desk or work surface shall have a sufficiently large, low-reflectance surface and allow a flexible arrangement of the screen, keyboard, documents and related equipment.

(ii) The document holder shall be stable and adjustable and shall be positioned so as to minimise the need for uncomfortable head and eye movement.

(iii) There shall be adequate space for users to find a comfortable position.

(d) Work chair

(i) The work chair shall be stable and allow the user easy freedom of movement and a comfortable position.

(ii) The seat shall be adjustable in height.

(iii) The seat back shall be adjustable in both height and tilt.

(iv) A footrest shall be made available to any user who requires one.

2. Environment

(a) Space Requirements

The workstation shall be dimensioned and designed so as to provide sufficient space for the user to change position and vary movements.

(b) Lighting

(i) Lighting (including room lighting, spot lighting or work lamps) shall ensure satisfactory lighting conditions and an appropriate contrast between the screen and the background environment, taking into account the type of work and the user's vision requirements.

(ii) Possible disturbing glare and reflections on the screen or other equipment shall be prevented by co-ordinating the layout of workstations within the place of work with the positioning and technical characteristics of the artificial light sources.

(c) Reflections and glare

(i) Workstations shall be so designed that sources of light, such as windows and other openings, transparent or translucent walls and brightly coloured fixtures or walls cause no direct glare and, as far as possible, no distracting reflections on the screen.

(ii) Windows shall be fitted with a suitable system of adjustable covering to attenuate the daylight which falls on the workstation.

(d) Radiation

All radiation, with the exception of the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, shall be reduced to negligible levels from the point of view of the protection of employees’ safety and health.

(e) Noise

Noise emitted by equipment belonging to a workstation shall be taken into account when a workstation is being equipped, in particular so as not to distract attention or disturb speech.

(f) Heat

Equipment belonging to a workstation shall not produce excess heat which could cause discomfort to employees.

(g) Humidity

An adequate level of humidity shall be established and maintained.

3. Employee/Computer Interface

In designing, selecting, commissioning and modifying software, and in designing tasks using display screen equipment, the employer shall take into account the following principles:

(i) software shall be suitable for the task,

(ii) software shall be easy to use and, where appropriate, adaptable to the employee’s level of knowledge or experience; no quantitative or qualitative checking facility may be used without the knowledge of the employees,

(iii) systems shall provide feedback to employees on their performance,

(iv) systems shall display information in a format and at a pace which are adapted to employees, and

(v) the principles of software ergonomics shall be applied, in particular to human data processing.