Homeworking and display screen equipment

Because of the huge increase in people working from home, the safe use of display screen equipment (DSE), covered by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (DSE Regulations), is also a key union concern. The HSE updated its guidance to employers on protecting employees working from home (see Chapter 1). Unions are concerned that prolonged homeworking, including hybrid working, at unsuitable workstations will lead to workers developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) (see Chapter 9).

A study of more than 3,000 homeworkers by the Scottish TUC, Strathclyde Business School and the University of Manchester, Covid-19 and working from home survey: preliminary findings, carried out with the support of the Unite general, UNISON public services, PCS public and commercial services and CWU communications unions, found almost two fifths (37%) said their physical health was not as good as when they were working in an office environment. Muscular-physical fatigue was one of the common issues reported.

The Prospect specialists’ union also highlighted research by Stirling university management school and Edinburgh university business school, The place for women’s work is in the kitchen? The location of work during the Covid-19 pandemic & beyond, showing that women homeworkers were less likely to have dedicated workstations than men. Men were more likely to have a desk in a spare room, for example, while women were more likely to be at a dining room or kitchen table, with obvious implications for the development of MSDs.