Contrary to common belief, workplaces with computers conceal a range of hazards.
The preparation of a hazard assessment for workplaces with computers is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations on Safety and Health at Work with Computers, Official Gazette 69/05. According to these regulations, the employer is obliged to prepare a hazard assessment for all workplaces with computers, taking into account potential risks to workers' health, especially those related to visual, static, and psychological strain.
Workplaces with computers are considered to be workplaces where workers use a computer with a screen for a total of 4 hours or more during the working day.
FOR EMPLOYERS WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT:
Preparing hazard assessments for workplaces with computers
It is a well-known fact that we are becoming increasingly sedentary as a nation and that we spend a significant amount of time in front of computers. As a result, a special risk assessment is conducted for computer work, taking into account all the efforts and risks associated with this type of work. The main issue with computer work is that it is unlikely to lead to injury, but over time, due to unfavorable working conditions and the way we work, various discomforts may arise (neck pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.). Preparing a hazard assessment for workplaces with computers is the first and fundamental step in introducing healthy practices into your offices.
The hazard assessment for workplaces with computers can be a standalone document or it can be part of the standard risk assessment at work.
This is most commonly done when the employer has employees in the company who work on computers for more than 4 hours a day and employees who do not spend as much time on computers.
If you want to learn about how risk assessment is viewed at the European Union level, visit the website of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Hazard assessments for workplaces with computers are not prepared for:
- driver's cabins and cabins used to operate vehicles or machinery
- computer systems on transportation vehicles
- computer systems intended for public use
- portable computers not intended for continuous work at a workplace
- computing machines, cash registers, and equipment with small screens that display data or measurement results and are auxiliary tools for specific work operations
- typewriters of standard design with small screens
In accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on Safety and Health at Work with Computers, NN 69/05, the employer is obligated to prepare a hazard assessment for all workplaces with computers, taking into account potential risks to workers' health, especially related to visual, static, and psychological strain. Workplaces with computers are considered to be those where employees use a computer with a screen for a total of 4 hours or more during the working day. The hazard assessment should cover the requirements that each workplace with computers must meet, and these requirements are listed in the Annex to the Regulation, which relates to:
a) equipment (screen, keyboard, desk or work surface, desk chair, and footrest)
b) the working environment (requirements related to workspace, lighting, glare, and reflections, noise, microclimatic conditions, radiation)
c) software
Based on the hazard assessment, the employer must take measures to eliminate identified deficiencies, taking into account the special and/or combined effects of identified hazards and harmful factors. Additionally, the employer must provide workers or their representatives with all necessary information regarding safety and health at the workplace.
Employers who employ up to 50 workers can prepare a hazard (risk) assessment related to computer work themselves, and they must submit it for verification to an authorized institution or a company specializing in occupational health and safety. Employers who employ more than 50 workers are obligated to prepare a hazard assessment for workplaces with computers in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the preparation of hazard (risk) assessments.
Does every legal entity need to have this assessment?
No, only legal entities that are employers - those who employ at least one person who is not a member of the management, owner, etc. It doesn't matter whether you are a company, sole proprietorship, school, association, etc. - all legal entities that are employers are obligated to ensure workplace safety.
How long is the assessment valid?
Once an assessment is made, it is permanent. However, the assessment must always be kept up-to-date. This means that the assessment must be periodically updated based on the following circumstances: changes to existing locations or opening new ones, introduction of new job positions, implementation of new work processes and technologies, hiring new personnel.
We had an assessment for a j.d.o.o., and now we are a d.o.o. - do we need a new assessment?
If everything else remains the same, and the existing d.o.o. is the successor of the j.d.o.o. (meaning, the employees are the same, work processes are the same, locations are the same), there is no need for a new assessment.
Specialist for this service is:
Tomislav Nimac
Senior expert for occupational safety
+385 (1) 28 52 117
+385 95 802 71 73
tomislav.nimac@anparo.hr
