Seating at work: ergonomic selection and adjustment

Health and Safety Executive Appendix 1: Legislation 1 Legislation relating to seating at work includes the: n Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974; n Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; n Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992; n Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992; n Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; n Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; n Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. 2 The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) places a duty on employers to ensure the health and safety of employees and others who may be affected by their work activities. In practice this means that seating should not endanger the health and safety of people at work. The HSWA also places a general duty on seating manufacturers and suppliers to make sure that their seating is safe and does not present a risk to health and safety. This responsibility includes providing instructions on using and maintaining seating. 3 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 place a duty on employers and self-employed people to assess risks to health and safety from their undertaking. This will include risks from seating. The duty holder must also identify what measures are needed to comply with health and safety requirements and make arrangements to manage these measures effectively. 4 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992: regulation 11 requires a suitable seat to be provided for each person in the workplace whose work includes operations of a kind that the work (or a substantial part of it) can or must be done sitting. The seat should be suitable to meet the needs of the individual and the task at hand. A suitable footrest must also be provided where necessary. 5 The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 seek to reduce the health and safety risks from using visual display units (VDUs) in the workplace. These set out minimum requirements for workstations, including seating. VDUs An easy guide to the regulations (see Appendix 3) summarises the possible risks to health that are associated with display screen equipment work, including poor seating. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 seek to reduce the health and safety risks to employees from handling and lifting loads. They give advice on how to handle and move loads to prevent poor posture or injury, including handling whilst seated. 6 The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require employers to ensure that work equipment provided is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. The Regulations regard seating as work equipment. 7 The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 require employers to consult their employees, or elected representatives, on matters that affect their health and safety. These Regulations apply even when employees are not represented by recognised trade unions. Seating at work Page 18 of 22