HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07201993 - IO.4 T& BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I .O.-4 _ Contra
FROM:
INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE '" \ Costa
July 14 , 1993 / ;�,•n, 4° County 1,•"Ty J
DATE:
SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON�THE WORK OF THE VDT TASK FORCE
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1 . ACKNOWLEDGE receipt of the attached report from the Assistant
Personnel Director regarding the activities of the Video
Display Terminal (VDT) Task Force and encourage the Task Force
to follow through on all of the planned activities and efforts
as they are outlined in this report.
2 . REQUEST the Assistant Personnel Director to report to the 1994
Internal Operations Committee in July, 1994 on what other
jurisdictions are doing in the area of VDT standards for the
public and private sector, given that local involuntary
ordinances are apparently effectively unenforceable.
3 . REQUEST the Assistant Personnel Director to attempt to
schedule time on the agenda of the CSAC Employee Relations
Institute for a report on the efforts that Contra Costa
County, its private sector employers and labor unions have
made in formulating and implementing voluntary VDT guidelines
which are effective, are being used and which have heightened
the awareness of many employers to the importance of VDT
standards .
4 . REQUEST the Assistant Personnel Director to report back to the
1994 Internal Operations Committee in July, 1994 on the
activities of the VDT Task Force for the 1993-94 fiscal year,
making any recommendations that appear to be appropriate at
that time.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD MMT
APPROVEOTHE �`/%%
S
UNNE WRIGHT MCPEAK iTH
SIGNATURES
v
ACTION OF BOARD ON July 20, 1993 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. �/
ATTESTED 0��
Contact: PHIL BATC ELOR,aERK OF THE BOARD OF
CC: County Administrator SUPERVIS RS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Assistant Personnel Director
Risk Manager
Health Services Director BY DEPUTY
I .O.-4
BACKGROUND:
Our Committee has been following the activities of the VDT Task
Force since it was established several years ago. On July 12, 1993
we met with Eileen K. Bitten, Assistant Personnel Director; members
of her staff, and Larry Moss from the Risk Management Office. Ms .
Bitten reviewed the attached report with our Committee, noting that
the Task Force has accomplished all of the assignments made by the
Board of Supervisors last January. In reviewing this report, it is
apparent that the members of the Task Force are working closely
with each other and that the importance of implementing the VDT
guidelines is better understood and that they are adhered to far
more often than was the case a year ago.
In view of the Court action which has effectively struck down San
Francisco' s mandatory VDT rules, we are interested in what other
jurisdictions are doing and would like a report on this subject to
be made when the Personnel Department reports to the 1994 Internal
Operations Committee next summer. In the meantime, we are asking
that Ms . Bitten try to make arrangements to make a presentation at
the 1994 CSAC Employee Relations Conference on the success Contra
Costa County has had with voluntary VDT guidelines .
We are most pleased with the success the voluntary guidelines have
had in this County and would certainly recommend the course we have
followed here to any other jurisdiction which is interested in
obtaining the cooperation of the private sector and labor unions in
implementing VDT guidelines .
-2-
Contra _ Personnel Department
Costa ^' "lar Administration Bldg.
County 1 J 651 Pine Street
�iw�o .� Martinez, California 94553-1292
�`F4
DATE: July 7, 1993
TO: Internal Operations Committee
• Bitten,
FROM: Eileen K. Director •f Personne ,
SUBJECT: Status of VDT Task Force Activities
I. INTRODUCTION
This report will provide the status and summary of the activities
of the VDT Task Force for the first half of 1993 . It includes an
update on activities which the IOC recommended the Task Force
undertake and an update on activities outlined in our 1993 work
plan which was presented to you in your December 14 , 1992
meeting.
II. IOC RECOPD(ENDED AREAS OF ACTIVITIES
As recommended by the IOC, the Task Force has accomplished the
following:
A. Sent a letter signed by Tom Torlarkson to each Task
Force member expressing appreciation for their
participation in the County VDT efforts and encouraging
them to continue working with the County for 1993
(attachment #1) .
B. Forwarded a copy of the December 14 , 1992 Task Force
status report to Cal-OSHA and the statewide association
of County Personnel Officers. This report included a
copy of the survey instrument and results (attachments
#2 and #3) .
C. Published a press release regarding the Task Force and
its activities in the March issue of the "Business
Voice" newsletter which is published by the Contra Costa
Council (attachment #4)
D. Published a press release regarding the Task Force and
its activities as well as distributed 1, 100 copies of
the guidelines in the Chamber of Commerce newsletter
(attachment #5) .
E. From the 1992 survey results, identified the types
of employers more likely to meet the criteria of
the guidelines. These primarily included engineering
firms, legal services organizations, and various types
of manufacturers of goods. The Task Force is currently
engaged in developing methods to approach these
employers.
III. STATUS OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE 1993 WORK PLAN
In December 1992 , the Task Force presented a work plan for 1993,
as well as outlined various other areas of activities for this
year. To work on these items, subcommittees have been formed and
four (4) general meetings of all Task Force members have been
held over the past six (6) months. Following is the progress
thus far on our activities:
A. Recruitment of New Members
- The Task Force drafted a letter to send to employers for
the recruitment of new members. The letter is similar
to the appreciation letter sent to each Task Force
member (attachment #6) .
Seven new members have been recruited and include:
Heidi Hug - Mt. Diablo Health and Fitness Institute
Jeanette Engle-Ramirez - Mt. Diablo Health and
Fitness Institute
Chris Rich - Kaiser Permanente
Marie Mc Claskey - CCC Office of Education - ROP
Carol Handy - Kaiser Permanente
Jeff Hodgekinson - Lesher Communications
Paula Elder - Lesher Communications
B. Dissemination of Guidelines and Education Activities
- New Task Force member, Marie Mc Claskey, has distributed
the guidelines to computer related instructors in the
ROP program for use in the classroom. In addition, the
guidelines will be distributed to all school districts
in the County in September for use by teachers and
instructors in computer related classes. Additionally,
there are currently plans for having a booth at the next
BOOST/ROP career fair.
- Chevron has agreed to cover some of the printing costs
associated with the above mentioned ROP efforts.
- Manpower Temporary Services is making the guidelines
available to applicants who apply for employment, as
well as providing the guidelines to clients and
potential clients.
The Concord Chamber is currently communicating with
businesses who retail computers regarding making copies
available to customers. Plans are currently underway
to provide some training to the sales manager and staff
at Price Club in Concord for this purpose.
Additionally, the Concord Chamber is working with Mt.
Diablo College in an effort to make the guidelines available to
instructors in computer related courses.
- One of our new members, Chris Rich, is assisting the
Task Force with publishing a press release in the
September issue of the Kaiser newsletter "Planning for
Health" which is distributed to all enrollees. Also,
Ms. Rich has applied for a grant through Kaiser to
assist in covering some of cost of the Task Force
efforts.
The Task Force is currently working with PIC to develop
an article for inclusion in their quarterly newsletter
which is distributed to employers throughout the County.
Current plans are for the article to appear in the
October issue.
- The report on the County's VDT effort written by R. F.
Bettendorf on behalf of IBM, which was previously
presented to you, has not been printed as of this date;
however, we are currently working with Mr. Bettendorf to
gain permission from IBM to publish the report in the
quarterly Journal of the International Personnel
Management Association (IPMA) newsletter for September.
C. Survey Methods and Instruments
- Work is currently underway to revise and add additional
questions to the survey questionnaire.
- Work is being done to append information to the
guidelines such as exercises for VDT users and methods
for employers to determine VDT related safety needs.
IV. SUMMARY
While there is still a considerable amount of work to be done for
the remainder of this year, the Task Force has made a tremendous
amount of progress in recruiting new members, working on new ways
to distribute the guidelines to the business and education
communities, and examining the survey questionnaire to determine
how it might be improved. The progress which has been made is
attributed to the genuine spirit of cooperation among Task Force
members.
ATTACHMENT #1
The Board of Supervisors Contra CelrkloftthehBoard
and
County Administration Building Costa
County Administrator
a
651 Pine St., Room 106 J (510)646.2371
Martinez, California 94553 County
Tom Powers,1st District
Jeff Smith,2nd District
SE L
�.•'- - G
Gayle Bishop,3rd District
Sunne Wright McPeak,4th District ✓ June 15, 1993
Tom Torlakson,5th District )
On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, I want to express my appreciation to the Task Force
members and their employers for their involvement, cooperation and commitment in
developing and successfully implementing the Voluntary VDT Program. The efforts of the
Task Force have shown that Contra Costa County's unique approach to addressing the
subject of office ergonomics has been successful and has received national recognition.
Under the direction of the Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County convened a Task
Force consisting of representatives from the County Personnel Department, business and
organized labor to address the musculoskeletal and vision concerns that can be associated
with video display terminal use. The primary objective of the Task Force was to develop a
set of voluntary video display terminal guidelines and then to disseminate them to the
business community.
In January of 1991,'due to the efforts of the Task Force, the Board of Supervisors adopted
the.Voluntary Video Display Terminal Guidelines for County employers. These guidelines
represent sound ergonomic practice and address key ergonomic issues. The Guidelines
contain sections on definitions, VDT equipment workstation furniture, accessories, lighting
considerations, provisions for alternative work and vision care and training.
Through articles, brochures, newsletters, special mailings, the Library Resource Collection
and one-day VDT seminar, all sponsored by the County, Task Force members and their
employers, the guidelines have been broadly communicated to the business community by the
Task Force. The results of the recent survey, developed to measure the effectiveness of the
voluntary VDT Program, indicate that progress.is being made and that business response to
ergonomic safety issues is excellent.
As the Task Force continues to explore different approaches for disseminating information
and educating the business community, I encourage new members from business and labor
to join the VDT coalition. The Task Force's success in addressing ergonomic safety issues
has proven that government, business and labor can effectively work together in dealing with
the complex work issues that face employers today.
Once again, thank you for your active participation and continual support.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson, Chair
Board of Supervisors
TT/EKB:do
ATTACHMENT #2
Contra Personnel Department
� E
Costa ' /- Third Floor,Administration Bldg.
o`, _ �� 651 Pine Street -
COUn+l 40� Martinez,California 94553-1292
Y (510) 646-4064
Ci�i�r+c'
Harry D. Cisterman
Director of Personnel
April 30, 1993
John Howard
Chief, Occupational Safety And Health
CAL-OSHA
455 Golden Gate Ave. , Room 5202
San Fransico, CA 94102
Dear Mr. Howard,
Attached for your information are a copy of a report completed by
the Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal (VDT) Task Force
and a copy of the Contra Costa County Voluntary VDT Guidelines
for use by employers. The report provides an update of activities
of the Task Force to inform and educate the business community
regarding safety in the use of VDT equipment and related issues
and concerns. Included in the report are results of a survey
conducted by the Task Force to determine the extent to which VDT
equipment is utilized in the work place by employees and the
types of safety measures employers have implemented to address
and prevent related illnesses and injuries.
With the aid of the Task Force, which consists of members from
business and labor, Contra Costa County is making positive
progress in increasing the awareness of employers regarding
health and safety issues associated with VDT use. Please share
any comments you may have with us regarding the enclosed
documents or any other information you feel will assist us in our
future activities. We also invite you to share our success story
with other employers and offer our assistance to those who are
interested in developing their own VDT safety guidelines.
S ' erely,
Eileen Bitten
Assistant Director of Personnel
Attachments
ipmel
INTERNATIONAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION MEMBER
ATTACHMENT #3
Contra F.._.___ Personnel Department
4
Costa _
Third Floor,Administration Bldg.
S
:.. " 651 Pine Street
0:
County �'•, W Martinez,California 94553-1292
rye/ (510) 646-4064
t 7'a�t'UUIF'C
Harry D.Cisterman
Director of Personnel
April 30, 1993
Ethel Chastain
President
CPAC
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 207
San Diego, CA 92101
Dear Ms. Chastain, Q-VA--
Attached for your information are a copy of a report completed by
the Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal (VDT) Task Force
and a copy of the Contra Costa County Voluntary VDT Guidelines
for use by employers. The report provides an update of activities
of the Task Force to inform and educate the business community
regarding safety in the use of VDT equipment and related issues
and concerns. Included in the report are results of a survey
conducted by the Task Force to determine the extent to which VDT
equipment is utilized in the work place by employees and the
types of safety measures employers have implemented to address
and prevent related illnesses and injuries.
The Task Force, which consists of business and labor
representatives with . the Contra Costa County Personnel Department
playing an active role, has been instrumental in assisting Contra
Costa County make positive progress in increasing the awareness
of employers regarding health and safety issues associated with
VDT use. Please share any comments you may have with us
regarding the enclosed documents or any other information
concerning VDT which you feel will assist us in our future
activities. We also invite you to share our success story with
other Counties and offer our assistance to those who are
interested in developing their own VDT safety guidelines.
�7cerely'
Eileen Bitten
Assistant Director of Personnel
Attachments
Ipmel
INTERNATIONAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION MEMBER
ATTACHMENT #4
QT
-RESOURCE,,COLLECTION .Now
AVA"ILABLEFOR 'CoUNTY
ENIPLO`YERS
The:Contra Costa County Video
Displayie"al(YDT)Task Force,
an..grganiza ion"composed of busi-
ness,and labor representatives,'has
•established<a>V l?T,; resource collet-
l
tion`for`:use::liy.erriployers in Contra `"'
Costa Couii 'MCollection is lo-
cated at:tkie Central Library in Pleas-
antHill 'ar►d_includes an.arra' of
materials.:such"as.;pamphlets,,backs
,and.au.. 9
visual"aids which cover ..rivlembershi .on th Ta A.
Force is
tcipic areas ranging'frrim proper train- open to all:employers and"_:we"are
ing and equipment for the VDT ixser currently utvitxng and encouraging
,. .
to`health and safe.ty,related coricerns.. tkiose interested.to::join"us:' ,To,;be=
For.moreinformation regarding the .come a member,or if you have mi or
>.;:..
collection -ple- e'contact,the.Central rnatioz youwo ilcilik'to;sfiare:with
Lib aryrinPleasarit:Hill"at;(510):646-"'us'.please`contactb,7 6bie`Nejedlo:at-
(5 0)
March 199.3 ❖Business Voice
ATTACHMENT #5
} y=:;'t'`:" :..+r.-• ...� .dst,
gVDTask�r rceni`ilauatirograms "
The Contra Costa County Video The Task Force was also respon-
Display Terminal(VDT)Task Force, sible for developing and distributing
an organization composed of business voluntary VDT guidelines for use by
and labor representatives,has estab- employers in the county to address
lished a VDT resource collection for health and safety concerns in 1991.A
use by employers in Contra Costa copy of the voluntary guidelines is
County.The collection is located at the enclosed with this newsletter.
Central Library in Pleasant Hili and In November 1992,the Task Force
includes an array of materials such as conducted a survey of randomly
phamphlets,books and audio-visual selected employers to assess the
aids which cover topic areas,ranging effectiveness of these guidelines and of
from proper training and equipment for any other safety methods that employ-
the VDT user to health and safety ers may be using to address VDT
related concerns. For more information related issues.We will report on the
regarding the collection,please contact results in a future article.
the Central Library in Pleasant Hill at For membership information con-
(510)646-6434. tact Debbie Nejedlo at(510)646-4054.
Page 3
ATTACHMENT #6
The Board of SupervisorsContra Cleric iloBatc ord
and
County Administration BuildingCOCta County Administrator
V (510)646-2371
651 Pine St., Room 106
Martinez, California 94553 County
Tom Powers,1st District
Jeff Smith.2nd District e i
Gayle Bishop,3rd District ./f. •_ �•
Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District
Tom Tortakson.5th District ,
I am inviting you to recommend a member of your staff to participate in the Video Display
Terminal Task Force.
Under the direction of the Board of Supervisors, Contra Costa County convened a Task
Force consisting of representatives from the County Personnel Department, business and
organized labor to address the musculoskeletal and vision concerns that can be associated
with video display terminal use. The primary objective of the Task Force was to develop a
set of voluntary video display terminal guidelines and then to disseminate them to the
business community.
In January of 1991, due to the efforts of the Task Force, the Board of Supervisors adopted a
the Voluntary Video Display Terminal Guidelines for County employers. These guidelines
represent sound ergonomic practice and address key ergonomic issues. The Guidelines
contain sections on definitions, VDT equipment workstation furniture, accessories, lighting
considerations, provisions for alternative work and vision care and training.
Through articles, brochures, newsletters, specialmailings, the Library Resource Collection
and one-day VDT seminar, all sponsored by the County, Task Force members and their
employers, the guidelines have been broadly communicated to the business community by the
Task Force. The results of the recent survey, developed to measure the effectiveness of the
voluntary VDT Program, indicate that progress is being made and that business response to
ergonomic safety issues is excellent.
As the Task Force continues to explore different approaches for disseminating information
and educating the business community, I encourage new members from business and labor
to join the VDT coalition. The Task Force's success in addressing ergonomic safety issues
has proven that government, business and labor can effectively work together in dealing with
the complex work issues that face employers today.
Once again, thank you for your consideration and support. Please contact Debbie Nejedlo in
the Personnel Department at (510) 646-4064 with the name of your staff member who will
participate in the VDT Task Force.
Sincerely,
Tom Torlakson, Chair
Board of Supervisors
TT/EKB:dn