SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL

PURPOSE: 

To present purchasing, maintenance, and office environment guidelines for ergonomics issues related to lighting, furniture and personal computer (PC) or video display terminal (VDT) use, in order to provide the safest and most comfortable working conditions for all County employees.


POLICY:

1. Departments will use these ergonomic guidelines when ordering lighting, office furniture, PCs, VDTs, keyboards and accessories. 
   
   
2. The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) staff of the Personnel Department will be responsible for establishing and maintaining these guidelines, considering input from the County's Occupational Health Physician and Information Services Department (ISD) staff regarding PC and VDT issues, to assure that they are current with ASHRAE and other relevant industry standards.
   
   
3. OSH staff will work with the VDT Task Force to provide input into these guidelines.
   
   
4. The Purchasing Division of General Service Department will assure that all purchases are within these ergonomic guidelines.
   
   
5. Information, along with these guidelines will be provided in the County training classes conducted by Information Services Department and the County Training Task Force relative to computer equipment use.
   
   
6. Brochures that address comfortable and proper use of computer equipment, but do not advocate the purchase of specific equipment or services, will be made available to all county employees who use such equipment.
   
   
7. Ergonomic Guidelines
   
   
   1. Lighting (type, intensity, location)
      
      
   2. Furniture
      
      1. Desk height
         
      2. Chairs (type, adjustments)
         

   3. Personal Computers (PCs)
      
      1. Equipment (keyboard, P.C. location, height)
         
      2. Accessories (foot rests, wrist rests, anti-glare screens, paper holder, etc.)
         

   4. Video Display Terminals (VDTs)
      
      1. Equipment (keyboards, location, height)
         
      2. Accessories (foot rests, wrist rests, anti-glare sreens, paper holder, etc.)
         

      PROCEDURE:
      
      
      

      1. OSH will review accessories for VDT's and work stations and make recommendations on three or less alternative options for each accessory. For example, OSH will determine the three best suited foot rests available and request Purchasing to only stock/order those three items.
         
         
      2. Departments will review these guidelines and place orders for lighting, furniture and equipment considering these guidelines.
         
         
      3. Upon request, staff from the Occupational Health and Safety Division of Personnel Department will make arrangements for a worksite review to determine ergonomic improvements that can be made for individual employees.
         
         
      4. OSH staff will periodically review these guidelines, considering input from ISD staff regarding PC and VDT issues, to assure that they are current with ASHRAE and other relevant industry standards.
         
         
      5. OSH staff will assure that these guidelines are distributed to department management and will hold information sessions as required.