Ergonomics and Workspace

Policy

This policy outlines the requirements for schools to prevent and manage musculoskeletal disorders and the risks associated with ergonomic and workspace hazards.

Summary

• Ergonomics involves designing tasks, jobs, equipment and the working environment so that work can be performed in a comfortable, productive and safe way.
• The principal or their delegate, in consultation with relevant school staff and health and safety representatives (HSR) where elected, must identify and assess risk factors in work design and ergonomics that may contribute to workspace related injuries, including musculoskeletal disorders and postural discomfort.
• Principals or their delegates must use controls to prevent or minimise the associated risk of injury.
• All school staff must take reasonable care for their own health and safety, and that of others, when setting up and using workstations and workspaces, including safe use of equipment and reporting ergonomic hazards.
• Workstation checklists offer school staff practical advice to correctly assess and set up their workstation, including laptop and desk setup.
• The OHS Advisory Service and regional OHS support officers can provide advice on managing risks related to ergonomic and workspace hazards in schools.
• The Ergonomics and Workspace Procedure (in the Procedure tab) explains how to identify ergonomic hazards and includes guidance that schools can use to manage associated risk.

Details

The way workspaces, such as school offices and classrooms, and workstation equipment, such as laptops, keyboards and desks, are designed and used can have a major impact on the user’s health and wellbeing. Human factors, including working posture and movement breaks, are equally as important as workspace design for injury prevention in the workplace.

A well-designed workspace containing equipment that is fit for purpose supports productivity, reduces the risk of an injury or illness, and minimises fatigue and discomfort. This is particularly important for school staff that require workplace adjustments to perform the requirements of their role safely, such as staff:

• with disability
• with pre-existing conditions
• who are pregnant
• who are returning to work following an injury or illness.

This policy includes limited information around workspaces with regards to safe manual handling, purchasing of new equipment, and working alone, in isolation or from home. This policy must be read in conjunction with the Manual Handling policy, OHS Purchasing policy and Working Alone, in Isolation or from Home policy where required.

For further information on other adjustments for school staff with a disability to injury refer to the Disability and Reasonable Adjustments policy and the Workers’ Compensation topic.

Roles and responsibilities for preventing ergonomic and workspace related injuries

Under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 (Vic), managing the risks related to ergonomic and workspace environments is a shared responsibility between the department, the principal or their delegate and school staff.

Department roles and responsibilities

The department must, so far as is reasonably practicable, maintain a safe and healthy working environment for school staff to prevent ergonomic and workspace related injuries in schools and where school staff are required to work from home.

Principal or delegate roles and responsibilities

The principal or their delegate, in consultation with the health and safety representative (HSR) and school staff, must identify, assess and control the risks that are associated with ergonomic and workspace hazards.

School staff roles and responsibilities

School staff must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and the safety of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions while at work, which includes preventing, identifying, reporting and managing ergonomic and workspace hazards and risks.

Key requirements for preventing ergonomic and workspace related injuries

The principal or their delegate must:

• prevent, identify and manage ergonomic and workspace hazards and risks in consultation with relevant school staff and HSRs
• assess new or complex ergonomic hazards and document findings in the school’s OHS risk register where relevant
• provide equipment and workplace adjustments to workspaces as required
• ensure that all school staff have completed the mandatory eLearning module on LearnED (‘Hazardous Manual Handling and Ergonomics’), which must be completed as part of their induction and refreshed every 2 years and as required.

The Ergonomics and Workspace Procedure in the Procedure tab contains detailed, step-by-step information about how schools can meet these key requirements.

Department supports for schools

Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and school staff to be safe and well. These include access to the OHS Advisory Service and regional OHS support officers who can provide advice and support in relation to preventing ergonomic and workspace related injuries through the use of workstation checklists and completing ergonomic assessments.

Using eduSafe Plus to report and manage hazards identified allows OHS support officers to provide assistance and advice. Guidance for reporting and managing hazards on eduSafe Plus is located in the Reporting a workplace hazard guide on the knowledge base in eduSafe Plus. For more general information on OHS risk management, refer to the OHS Risk Planning and Management policy.

Definitions

Agile working environment
Type of work environment designed around complete flexibility. Unlike a traditional workspace – where staff are permanently assigned to desks – an agile workplace encourages staff to move freely around the workspace, making use of whichever space suits their objectives at that time.

Ergonomics
The process of designing an environment to suit an individual’s physical and mental needs.

Ergonomic assessment
Assessment of a staff member at their workstation and workspace to ensure correct working postures and workstation set-up.

Ergonomic hazard
An ergonomic hazard is a physical factor in a work system or environmental design that can lead to stress on the human body causing musculoskeletal injury.

Examples include:

• poor work design that promotes sustained awkward posture, repetition and lack of recovery time
• static or sedentary work
• environmental factors such as lack of space, poor lighting and noise.

Expert assessor
Ergonomist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or trained professional who is qualified to perform an analysis on a staff member’s work environment and make appropriate recommendations.

Musculoskeletal disorder
An injury or illness that affects muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage or spinal discs and usually occurs due to a strenuous and/or repetitive activity.

Work design
The design of jobs, job tasks, and roles to ensure work is practical, efficient and safe.

Workplace
A place where staff are or are likely to be during the course of their work. This includes attendance at offsite locations or travel in a vehicle during the course of work.

Workplace adjustment
A modification to a work process, practice, procedure or setting that enables an employee to perform their job in a way that minimises the impact of barriers they face at work.

Workstation
A defined area within a workspace where staff will carry out a particular work task, such as using a laptop or computer.

Workspace
The place where staff will perform daily work tasks, includes the work area and surrounding space, lighting, noise and thermal control.

Work organisation
The way work is planned, organised and managed. This includes patterns of work, distribution of workload, work communication and interaction with others at work, as well as broader work industry influences.

Related policies

• Disability and Reasonable Adjustments – Staff
• Flexible Work
• Manual Handling
• Mental Health and Wellbeing – Employees
• OHS Induction and Training
• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools
• OHS Purchasing
• OHS Risk Planning and Management
• Workers' Compensation: Return to work
• Working Alone, in Isolation or from Home

Relevant legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• WorkSafe Victoria Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling (PDF)

Ergonomics and Workspace Procedure

This Ergonomics and Workspace Procedure sets out the practical step-by-step instructions that must be followed to implement the Ergonomics and Workspace policy.

It contains the following chapters:

1. Ongoing management of ergonomics and workspaces
2. Identifying ergonomic and workspace hazards and risks
3. Controlling the risks
4. Hazard, incident and near miss reporting

1. Ongoing management of ergonomics and workspaces

Actions for principals or delegates

To effectively manage workplace ergonomics and workspaces, and as part of an ongoing health, safety and wellbeing management approach, principals or their delegates must undertake the following actions outlined in this chapter.

Consult

Principals or their delegates must consult with school staff who are, or are likely to be, affected (such as school office or laptop-equipped staff) and health and safety representatives (HSRs), where elected, on ergonomic and workspace hazards, risks and controls, in accordance with the OHS Consultation and Communication policy.

Document, monitor and review

Principals or their delegates must regularly monitor and review ergonomic and workspace hazards such as equipment, lighting and thermal comfort, risks and controls by implementing the OHS Risk Planning and Management policy including activities in the OHS Activities Calendar, workplace inspections, risk assessments and maintenance of the risk register. These documents must be retained in accordance with the Records Management policy.

Manage hazards and incidents

Principals or their delegates must manage ergonomic and workspace hazards and incidents, including through eduSafe Plus, by implementing the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy.

Implement workplace adjustments

Principals or their delegates must ensure workplace adjustments are implemented where reasonable. They must also ensure that school staff have been provided with relevant information, instruction or training in the use of equipment such as ergonomic chairs and work practices. For further information on how to implement workplace adjustments, refer to the Disability and Reasonable Adjustments policy, Flexible Work policy and Working Alone, in Isolation or from Home policy.

Training

Principals or their delegates must ensure that all school staff have completed the mandatory eLearning module on LearnED (‘Hazardous Manual Handling and Ergonomics’), which must be completed as part of their induction and refreshed every 2 years and as required.

Actions for all school staff

All school staff must support ongoing management of ergonomic and workspace risks and hazards through:

• taking reasonable care for their own health and safety when setting up and using workstations and workspaces, and that of others, including safe use of equipment and reporting ergonomic hazards
• using supports available, including the workstation/workspace checklists to setup and assess their workstation
• notifying their principal or delegate if they have a pre-existing condition that affects their work capacity so that workplace adjustments can be implemented
• completing the mandatory eLearning module available on LearnED (as above).

Identifying ergonomic and workspace hazards and risks

In a workplace, it is important to proactively assess the environment for ergonomic hazards to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury occurring.

Although ergonomics is a broad field, the main areas of concern for schools and will relate to:

• workstations (sitting and standing)
• equipment and classroom layout and operation
• noise
• lighting
• thermal comfort.

The principal or their delegate must identify ergonomic and workspace hazards in their school, in consultation with school staff who are or are likely to be affected, and health and safety representatives (HSR), where elected.

Hazards can be identified through workplace inspections, discussions regarding tasks and staff concerns, reviewing injury records (including eduSafe Plus data), or through the use of ergonomic workstation/workspace checklists.

Ergonomic workstation/workspace checklists

The ergonomic workstation/workspace checklists provide a practical self-assessment tool for school staff to identify potential problem areas and to determine suitable amendments to their setup.

Workstation/workspace checklists are encouraged to be used when:

• new school staff are onboarded
• a school staff member changes workstation or fixed location, such as moving to a different school or school office location
• school staff report pre-existing injury or illness (refer to Ongoing management of ergonomics and workspaces for a full list of relevant policies) or any pain and discomfort at work.

The following checklists are available for use:

• How to set up when using a laptop (DOCX)
• How to set up when using a desk (DOCX).

Regular review of the workstation setup aims to identify and address issues before they become a concern. Where working in agile environments, such as moving between classrooms, these checklists provide guidance to quickly check and consider the correct setup guidance.

For further support on using the checklists, all staff and principals can contact the OHS Advisory Service on 1300 074 715.

Following the completion of an ergonomic workstation/workspace checklist, staff are encouraged speak with their principal or delegate about their results. The principal or their delegate must ensure the identified hazards are documented in the school’s OHS risk register (XLSX).

Ergonomic assessment by an expert assessor such as an ergonomist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist

Following the completion of an ergonomic workstation/workspace checklist, an ergonomic assessment or workplace adjustment for an employee by an expert assessor will be required when:

• there is any pain or discomfort or musculoskeletal injury
• a staff member requests an assessment or is seeking reasonable adjustment suited to their needs
• recommended by a health professional.

Ergonomic assessments can be requested by all staff via the OHS Advisory Service at no cost. Staff are encouraged to discuss the need for an external assessment with their principal prior to calling.

3. Controlling the risks

Once hazards have been identified through any of the approaches in Chapter 2: Identifying ergonomic and workspace hazards and risks, principals or their delegates, in consultation with:

• school staff who are, or are likely to be, affected
• health and safety representatives (HSRs), where elected

must put controls in place to eliminate or reduce the level of risk (so far as reasonably practicable) associated. Controlling the risk is all about removing or reducing the likelihood of injury.

Many ergonomic and workspace hazards can be prevented with a mix of controls, including appropriate equipment selection and setup, good planning of the workspace layout and implementation of good ergonomic behaviours.

Personal ergonomics controls

Personal workspace habits can impact musculoskeletal comfort and risk of injury. Changing posture every 20 to 30 minutes is the most effective strategy to minimise musculoskeletal discomfort and reduce risk of injury. This can be done by:

• changing tasks to change posture every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day
• changing work locations, such as moving to different classrooms where possible
• using stand up desks or higher workstations
• using calendar reminders or phone alarms to get up and move
• taking the stairs instead of the lift
• regularly taking breaks away from a workstation or screen by standing, stretching, getting a glass of water or walking meetings
• avoiding sitting on children’s furniture or bending with the back to meet the child’s eye level (instead, bend using the legs or pull up a chair to a classroom table rather than leaning over or bring personal chair over to a nearby desk)
• when standing, spreading weight evenly across both feet, keeping knees lightly bent, keeping feet shoulder width apart, standing straight and tall with shoulders pulled back
• keeping wrists straight and hands at or below elbow level when working on a laptop or computer
• swapping mouse use between hands (for example, one week using right hand, next week using left)
• taking meal breaks away from the workstation
• using alternate work locations that may be more suitable where possible, such as technology rooms
• introducing stretching or walking into classroom activities – this helps staff and students.

Workstation design controls

Flexibility and adjustability are key design elements for workstations, where staff can adjust based on their personal needs to perform the required task safely. Controls to address workstation related risks may include:

• tables and desks of an appropriate standing and sitting height, or are able to be adjusted
• user adjustable and ergonomic chairs
• height adjustable monitor(s), monitor stands and laptop stands
• document holders
• foot stools
• headsets
• mouse and keyboard pads
• ergonomic mouse, for example, a vertical mouse.

The above equipment must be approved for purchase by the principal or delegate and purchased in accordance with the Procurement in Schools policy and OHS Purchasing policy.

Workspace controls

Controls to address workspace related risks associated with setup and layout of equipment may include:

• removing objects from under the desk such as boxes, bags and rubbish bins to allow movement of legs and chair
• positioning monitors and chairs to avoid body twisting or awkward postures
• placing frequently used items such as documents, phones and stationery within arm’s reach
• setting up monitors at the right height and within arm’s reach
• placing mouse and keyboard close to the edge of the desk for easy use and leaving enough room to support the wrists.

Using the OHS risk register (XLSX) will help identify if the control and measures taken reduce the level of risk to an acceptable level. For support with this process, including when implemented controls are inadequate, contact the OHS Advisory Service.

4. Hazard, incident and near miss reporting

School staff must report any hazards or incidents, such as musculoskeletal pain, discomfort or injuries, to the principal or their delegate as soon as possible, including the completion of any ergonomic workstation/workspace checklists.

Schools can also manage these hazards and incidents in eduSafe Plus.

For more information on reporting hazards and incidents, refer to the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy.

Resources

Guidance

• Ergonomic workstation and workspace checklist (DOCX) – a self-assessment tool to be conducted by the individual at their workstation and workspace. The goal of the checklist is to identify potential problem areas and to determine suitable amendments and recommendations that can be made
• Ergonomic workstation and workspace checklist – laptop-equipped staff (DOCX) – a self-assessment tool to be conducted by laptop-equipped staff at their workstation and workspace, similar to the normal checklist. This checklist is directed at staff such as teachers who operate normally off a single laptop in classrooms and other workspaces
• WorkSafe Victoria Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling (PDF)
• WorkSafe Victoria Officewise – a guide to health and safety in the office handbook

Templates and forms

• OHS Activities Calendar (XLSX) – for scheduling reviews on an annual basis.
• OHS risk register (XLSX) – to record ergonomic and workplace hazards

Useful websites

• Comcare: Workstation set-up guide (PDF)
• WorkSafe Victoria Resources: How WorkSafe applies the law in relation to Reasonably Practicable