International Classification

Many people use computers or visual display units (VDUs) as part of their job. Most suffer no ill-effects. VDUs don’t give out harmful levels of radiation and rarely cause skin complaints.

If you use one and suffer ill-effects it may be because of the way you’re using the computer. For example, you might suffer from strain in the back of the hand due to excessive ‘mouse’ clicking, or stress or neckache if you use a VDU without a break for a long time. Problems like these can be avoided by a well-designed workstation and job.

There is no legal limit to how long you should work at a VDU, but under health and safety regulations you have the right to breaks from work using a VDU. These don’t have to be rest breaks, just different types of work. When working at a VDU make sure you can sit in a comfortable position, and keep a good posture. Your eyes should be level with the screen. Make sure you have enough space and don’t sit in the same position for too long.

It’s better to take shorter breaks more often at your workstation than longer breaks and less often (eg a 5-10 minute break after 50-60 minutes continuous screen and/or keyboard work is likely to be better than a 15 minute break every 2 hours). But if your job means spending long periods at a VDU (eg data input), then longer breaks from your workstation should be introduced.

If you’re disabled, your employer’s duty to make reasonable adjustments for you may mean that they will provide you with special computer equipment (or alter existing equipment) to suit your needs.