When the Home Becomes a Workplace Too-00-3917

In December 2008 the sales of laptops overtook those of desktop computers for the first time. This date provides a landmark that illustrates the massive shift in the way that we work today. So, it's incredible to learn that the first commercially available portable computer the Osborne was not on sale until 1981. Although the Osborne was about the weight and size of a sewing machine it was nevertheless portable and marked the beginning of a revolution. However, it wasn't until the 1990's when technological advances enabled prices to be dramatically reduced that laptops started to become more common-place.

The dominance of laptop use over desk-tops and the prevalence of networking led to a huge uptake in the numbers of people who could now work out of the office. This varies from formalised arrangements where employees work from home a certain number of days a week through to the casual continuation of work through into the evening and weekends. Of course work isn't the only activity that is performed on a laptop! Our leisure time gaming, social networking is increasingly spent behind a screen.

Do employers have a responsibility to ensure that their employees work in a healthy environment and in an ergonomically correct way at home in the same way as they carry responsibility for their health and wellbeing in the office? A supplement, published in 2004 to The Health and Safety Executive's guidelines states that where portable DSE (Display Screen Equipment) is habitually in use by a display screen user for part of his or her normal work should be regarded as covered by the Regulations".

So how can these guidelines be adhered to? Rather than hunching over a laptop the screen can be raised to the correct height (the top of the screen should be at eye-level) with the use of a laptop stand. Most stands are adjustable, with several height settings to make this possible. Laptop supports are an invaluable piece of kit for anyone using a laptop more than for just occasional use. A laptop stand should always be used with a secondary keyboard and mouse to avoid problems such as RSI (repetitive strain injury). The key is to find a comfortable working position; by raising the screen on a laptop stand the user has a better viewing angle which facilitates improved posture. This in turn leads to a reduced risk of back and neck aches.

As computer technology advances at an ever increasing rate it becomes more important than ever before to keep a check on the human consequences of changing ways of working. The current trend for smaller and lighter devices, while beneficial in so many ways also presents fresh challenges in terms of the health and safety of those who use them for sustained periods. In the twenty-tens the home has become a workplace too; and with that freedom come risks also.

References:

http://laptoplogic.com/news/laptop-sales-exceed-desktop-sales-globally--20319
http://oldcomputers.net/osborne.html
http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/200-299/202_1s3.pdf