Safe and Healthy VDT Workplace Design: Is there a Scientific Basis? Are Standards Effective? Are Regulations Appropriate?

Abstract

VDT workplace design is increasingly becoming the subject of ordinances and regulations around the country. Several political jurisdictions have adopted regulations for state, county, and municipal facilities, including California. Suffolk County in New York was the first to adopt regulations applying to private industry, but these were somewhat controversial and were rejected by the courts. Now, San Francisco has also passed an ordinance to regulate VDT workplaces for all public and private organizations, and the city is busily gearing up to meet its requirements. The bill was hammered out by both business and labor representatives and is designed to be not invalidated by the courts (although it may be challenged). If it stands, it will be the first in the nation to do so–and is being closely watched by many other political jurisdictions throughout the country as a model.

Because HFS played the major role in developing the ANSI Standards (ANSI HFS-1988) for VDT workplace design, and because these Standards are increasingly incorporated into regulations and ordinances (including the San Francisco VDT Worker Safety Ordinance) we have a continuing professional interest in this whole process. Moreover, we may have an obligation to advise on the technical and psychosocial contents of the broad range of guidelines, standards, and regulations now under consideration around the United States. Our professional training and experience naturally positions us as a Society in an assessment role concerning their ergonomic appropriateness for a given target population.

Each member of the panel, according to their specialty, will present his or her views on:

• (1)

The sufficiency of existing scientific knowledge related to VDT workplace design; what else needs to be known; and why;

(2)

The effectiveness of ergonomic or human factors engineering standards in accomplishing proper and timely VDT workplace redesign;

(3)

The appropriateness of regulations to accomplish suitable VDT workplace design changes.

Their separate views will reflect their particular training and experience, and may or may not reflect the position of their differing constituencies: industry, federal safety and health, academia, and the VDT worker.