New Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Training and Ergonomics Assessment solution ensures employers remain compliant with health and safety legislation

Shannon Chamber announced today (Monday, 28 September 2020) that, in partnership with Adare Human Resource Management, it has launched a new comprehensive ergonomics training and assessment service for member companies,

The specialist Display Screen Equipment (DSE) training and ergonomics assessment has been devised to enable employers comply with legislative requirements that they ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of their employees. Central to this is ensuring that employees have a safe workstation and understand how to use relevant equipment, and that employers understand their responsibility to identify and rectify any potential risks to their employees while at work, including when working remotely.

The new assessment and training service will be offered to companies to enable them to provide detailed training for employees to ensure they understand and manage their workstations correctly and safely. Employees who partake in the training will be taken through a series of exercises and questions to help them identify potential risks.

Once the employee has completed the training, they will take part in an online ergonomics risk assessment. On completion, an individual report will be created and sent to the employer to enable them deal with any identified risks; guidance on how to mitigate the risks will be provided by an experienced health and safety consultant from Adare Human Resource Management.

Commenting on the new service, Shannon Chamber chief executive Helen Downes said: “As tens of thousands of employees continue to work remotely, temporary measures put in place by businesses to accommodate this change are becoming a more permanent fixture. This places an increased onus on employers to comply with health, safety requirements.

“While some businesses may already have had policies in place, the vast majority moved quickly to accommodate working from home while remaining compliant with employment legislation and obligations to ensure the health and safety of their employees. This new training and assessment service will support employers in ensuring they meet these responsibilities as well as helping to mitigate any risks that could potentially lead to personal injury claims.”

According to Derek McKay, Managing Director of Adare Human Resource Management, employers have a responsibility to ensure employees have a safe working environment, whether in the office or at home. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 employers must evaluate the health and safety of workstations, with particular focus on physical difficulties, eye sights issues and mental wellbeing.

“To be compliant with legislation, employers must carry out an analysis or risk assessment of employee workstations; provide information to employees in relation to measures that have been implemented; provide training to employees on the use of workstations before commencing work with display screen equipment and whenever the organisation of the workstation is modified; perform a further analysis or risk assessment where an employee transfers to a new workstation or significant new work equipment, change of equipment or new technology is introduced at an individual’s workstation; and ensure that the provision of an appropriate eye and eyesight test is made available to every employee

“Our solution provides interactive training that demonstrates the correct use of equipment such as desktop computers, desks and chairs. Once the training is complete, the employee completes a risk assessment that generates a report which is reviewed by our health and safety consultant. The report is sent to the employer so that immediate actions can be taken, if required, making it the ideal solution to remain compliant with legislation.

“This new online offering, which is supported by the advices of a health and safety (H&S) team, effectively uses the latest technology combined with the required H&S competence to meet the requirements under the legislation,” he added.

Further information on the DSE Training and Ergonomics Assessment is available in below pdf link or by contacting admin@shannonchamber.ie or 061 475854.

Ergonomics Training & Assessment Shannon

ENDS