Sitting on your balls
What should you do if one of your staff decides they don’t want to use their office chair, but an inflatable exercise ball instead? Far fetched? Not at the University of Bath it isn’t. What should you do if you find yourself in a similar situation?
The inflatable ball
Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair, surely no one would want to do this? Would they? Apparently so! Sonia Crowe (C) who works in the University of Bath’s Department for Health has started a trend. It began with her ditching her standard office chair for an inflatable exercise ball. A number of colleagues followed suit. It may sound ridiculous, but C is actually a physiotherapist and decided to opt for a ball to help improve her posture and strengthen core muscles. Now, although this sounds like a pretty unique idea, she isn’t alone, and nor is it something new. Weird and wonderful seating options have been available and used by some for many years. However, do these options allow you to comply with the law - regardless of the potential benefits?
The legal (sitting) position
If C uses display screen equipment when she is working at her desk, then the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (as amended 2002) will apply to her situation. So what do the Regulations say about seating? The schedule states that the work chair should be: “Stable and allow the operator or user easy freedom of movement and a comfortable position”. It goes on to say that: “The seat shall be adjustable in height and the seat back shall be adjustable in both height and tilt. A footrest shall be made available to any operator or user who wishes”.
Note. It would be tough to convince an inspector that an inflatable ball could meet any of these requirements, apart from freedom of movement.
Conforming is the easy option
Allowing staff to sit on inflatable balls (or similar strange seating options) could cause all manner of problems. Apart from the fact you wouldn’t be complying with the DSE Regulations, you could also have problems if - and probably when - your member of staff falls off and injures themself. You could end up facing liability for not taking steps to prevent their injury.
Tip. If one of your staff asks to sit on something other than a standard chair, the best option is to refuse.
Note. Some requests might be backed up with a medical report. It’s not unheard of for a doctor to recommend they sit in a certain way - especially if they have a back injury etc. In these cases, don’t automatically accept the request; instead, send the employee to an occupational health practitioner and have them do a full workstation assessment. Avoid requests for different seating at all costs - if one employee has it, more requests are bound to follow.
Tried and tested
Stick to chairs that are designed to be used at a desk, and avoid any “ergonomic” options. Often they are no more ergonomic than a standard one - they just cost more!
Tip. Don’t buy a chair unless it has height and tilt adjustments and a five-point base. (See Thenext step.)
The next step
For a seating diagram, visit http://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk (HS 05.21.04).
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