The Law on Visual Stress and Dyslexia

What the law says

Display Screen Equipment Regulations

The employer is responsible for the health and safety of all who work in his premises. The Display Screen Regulations 1992 impose on management specific responsibilities for the care of direct employees, who in the Regulations are termed “users”. These duties are additional to the general duties of care required to satisfy other legislation.

All employed habitual users of Display Screen Equipment are entitled to eye examinations paid for by their employer. It is normally agreed that ‘habitual’ means regularly using a terminal for spells of over one hour - less if mistakes can have a critical effect e.g. situations where errors can have serious consequences.

The acceptance by the user of a visual screening check, whatever the result, does not remove the entitlement to a full eye examination. Vision screening, if carried out annually, may have a useful role to play in identifying “users” who need a re-examination.

The DSE Regulations states that by law employers have to pay for basic glasses for visual display unit (VDU) workers.  However, this does not cover the cost of tinted lenses.

Download the free HSE booklet on DSE Regulations here.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg90.pdf

Generally, under the DSE regulations employers have to:

Analyse workstations, and assess and reduce risks

To comply with DSE legislation, employers need to look at:

• The whole workstation including equipment, furniture, and the work environment;
• The job being done; and
• Any special needs of individual staff.

Employees and safety representatives should be encouraged to take part in risk assessments, eg by reporting health problems. Where risks are identified, the employer must take steps to reduce them.  HSE free leaflet on working with visual display units (VDUs)

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf

The Disability Discrimination Act

Dyslexia is recognised under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and compliance with it places responsibility on employers to enable access to premises and services by all staff and customers. Employers also have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled staff. These adjustments are anticipatory in nature and are not only applicable when a disabled person has requested them.

The Disability Equality Duty

The Disability Equality Duty came into force in December 2006 aimed at promoting disability equality across the public sector. It sets out what public authorities must do in order to promote equality of opportunity:

• Publish a Disability Equality Scheme (including an Action Plan)
• Involve disabled people in producing the Scheme and Action Plan
• Demonstrate that they have taken actions in the Scheme and achieved appropriate outcomes
• Report on progress
• Review and revise the Scheme.

A dyslexia-friendly approach can bring a number of benefits to companies:

• Help them to realise the particular strengths of their workforce
• Encourage staff to access training, gain qualifications and apply for promotion
• Reduce stress, staff turnover and sick leave
• Improve motivation and loyalty
• Improve efficiency and provide a better service for customers
• What is more, adjustments made for staff with dyslexia are often easily achieved and can benefit the whole organisation.

To become dyslexia-friendly a company can:

• find out more about dyslexia
• identify workplace issues
• use effective communication methods
• encourage and support employees
• create a dyslexia-friendly customer interface
• develop a culture of acceptance

To find out more about becoming a dyslexia-Friendly Employer, have a look at the BDA workshops and training section.

As well as the BDA, Dyslexia Action can assist companies to develop a policy and code of practice for working with dyslexic staff, trainees and customers.  See link here:

Dyslexia Action, Dyslexia in the workplace

http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/Page.aspx?PageId=207

 Risk of Visual Stress requires compliance
with legislation.