The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 01051993 - IO.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I .O.-2 Contra r FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa G. < 7X1"4.';",., •- County vy DATE: December 14, 1992 SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VOLUNTARY VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINAL (VDT) SAFETY GUIDELINES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Accept the attached report from the Director of Personnel on the status of efforts to implement voluntary Video Display Terminal (VDT) safety guidelines in the private sector. 2 . Congratulate the County staff and members of the VDT Task Force for their success, in meeting the Board of Supervisors ' goal of having 65% of qualifying employers following the voluntary guidelines or alternate similar policies by December 31, 1992 . Request the Director of Personnel to prepare a letter the Board of Supervisors can send' to the members of the VDT Task Force to express the Board' s appreciation and the Board' s hope that the members of the Task Force will continue to work with the County in 1993 to improve the distribution and use of the voluntary VDT guidelines beyond the success achieved in 1992 . 3 . Request the VDT Task Force and Director of Personnel, during 1993, to identify and devise ways to contact the estimated total of 774 employers in Contra Costa County who are covered by'the voluntary guidelines ( 38% of the 2300 employers in the County) . This should include articles in each Chamber of Commerce newsletter during the year, a planned article in the March, 1993 "Business Voice Now" magazine of the Contra Costa Council, as well as possible direct mailings or other methods which the Task Force can suggest. 4 . Request the Director of Personnel to forward the survey instrument and survey results to Cal-OSHA, and the statewide association of County Personnel Officers for their information. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: Id of RECOMMENDATION OOCOUNTY ATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE 14( ROSCHR SIGNATURE(S): ODER SUNNE WRIGHT McPEAK ACTION OF BOARD ON 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. R ATTESTED S ; Contact: County Administrator PHIL B HELOR,CLER OF THE BOARD OF cc: Director of Personnel SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Health Services Director Risk Manager County Counsel BY DEPUTY I.O.-2 5 . Agree to delay the next survey of employers until January, 1994 for the reasons identified in the attached report. 6 . Request the Director of Personnel to report to the 1993 Internal Operations Committee by June 30, 1993 on the activities of the staff and the Task Force for the first six months of 1993 and the plans for the last half of 1993 . 7 . Remove this item as a referral to the, 1992 Internal Operations Committee and instead refer it to the 1993 Internal Operations Committee to provide continuing oversight to this subject matter. BACKGROUND: In March and again in May, 1992, the Board of Supervisors approved reports from our Committee on the use of the voluntary VDT guidelines by private sector employers. We establishes as a goal that 65% of all covered employers would be using the guidelines or comparable guidelines by December 31, 1992 . The Board also asked that the VDT Task Force and staff of the Personnel Department devise an evaluation methodology which would identify the degree to which the guidelines were being used by employers of 10 or more individuals who use VDT equipment for four or more consecutive hours a day. On December 14, 1992, we met with Eileen Bitten, Assistant Personnel Director; Elizabeth Garcia and Tonza Harvey, VDT Project Coordinators; and Larry Moss from Risk Management. Ms . Bitten reviewed the attached report with our Committee. We are very pleased with the results of the sampling survey which show that the 65% goal was achieved. However, we have also established a 75% participation goal by December 31, 1993 . In addition, we believe that it is important to contact all of the affected employers in one way or another to provide them with the guidelines and encourage their use of the guidelines . In order to continue to provide oversight to this most important area of work, we believe the 1993 Internal Operations Committee should continue to provide oversight and receive periodic reports from the Director of Personnel and VDT Task Force. s -2- Contra Personnel Department CostaAdministration Bldg. q.'i 651 Pine Street County x� Martinez, California 94553-1292 1;'•.a, �rT'4 ('Ol Nr DKIE: December 14, 1992 TO: Internal Operations Ccmmtittee (L� FRX: Harry D. Cisterman, Director of Personnel � ` By: Eileen K. Bitten, Assistant Director of Personnel SUBJELM Status of VIII' Task Force Activities I. INTRODU ' ON This report will provide the status and summary of the activities of the VIII' Task Force during 1992. The efforts of the Ccimnittee were focused on two areas: 1. Disseminating the Voluntary Guidelines and information concerning VDI' Safety. 2. Developing and executing a method to evaluate the degree to which the Guidelines or other similar measures are being followed by employers with ten or more employees who use VDI' equipment for four or more consecutive hours per day. We are pleased to report that our goal of 65% of qualifying employers follow the Voluntary Guidelines or alternate, equally similar policies have been met. We have been active in our efforts to circulate the Guidelines and to make safety information available. II. SURVEY A. Background and Rec cmT endations At its February meeting, your Cczmtittee requested that the Task Force develop a method to obtain quantifiable information regardingthe use of the VDT cuidelines, or the use of equal, similar policies by employers in Contra Costa County. The Task Force reccnunended a survey method which was approved and which included the following elements: - target employers with ten or more employees; - perform a survey of randcmly selected employers; - conduct a survey aver a three year period, surveying one- third of the randcmly selected employers each year. The Task Force is reccmTlending that the next survey currently scheduled for October, 1993 be conducted in January, 1994. The current time line requires us to begin the survey process in October and continue through November or into the beginning of the holiday period. More importantly, this is a difficult time of year for many businesses given their fiscal year cycle of January to December. Although we had a high response rate Internal Operations committee -2- Deoember 14, 1992 this time, we may find improvement in subsequent years by avoiding the time when organizations are involved with closing the year-end books. Initiating the survey in January will be a favorable time for businesses, for many may have had to assess their computer related concerns as a part of year end reports and closing out their prior year books. This means that the information we are requesting is fresh on their.minds and easily accessible. B. Survey Methods As previously reported to you, there are approximately 2,300 employers in the County who employ 10 or more employees. We were able to identify these with the aid of the Directory of Business and Industry in contra Costa County which is published by the Contra Costa Council. A random sample of 330 employers provided a 95% confidence level that they are representative of the 2,300 targeted employers. A probability sampling method was utilized to select the 330 employers. A probability sample is selected according to mathematical guidelines whereby the chance for selection of each unit is unknown. We used a random sample, which is a type of probability sample, where each subject or unit in the papulation (targeted business community) had an equal chance of being selected. Thus, to identify the 330 employers, we first assigned all of them a number. Then, the total number. of employers was entered into a meter-based program that generates a table of random numbers for sampling purposes. After the 330 numbers for the employers where identified, another table of random numbers was generated to select the employers to be surveyed in this first year. For this first year, we wanted to have a larger sample size, so we selected 150 employers. We then added 27 of the largest employers we identified as employing 1,000 or more employees resulting in a total survey size for this year of 177 employers. Other steps in the survey process involved development of a concise and short questionnaire (Attachment #1) along with a cover letter (Attachment #2) . It was then necessary to identify the appropriate person in the organization to address the survey to. In this case, we used the cEJo or President with attention to the Safety Officer. A package containing the questionnaire, cover letter, copy of the voluntary guidelines and a return envelope was assembled and mailed. Utilizing a miter-based program, the responses to the returned questionnaires were tracked. Two weeks after mailing the questionnaire, those employers who we were not able to identify as having returned the survey were contacted by telephone in an effort to complete the survey over the phone. To aid in the telephone survey a script was developed (Attachment #3) . Internal Operations Committee -3- December 14, 1992 C. Survey Results The Task Force mailed surveys to 177 employers. The response 'rate was 67% with 118 employers responding via mail or after telephone contact. Attachment #4 provides the responses of the employers. Following is a breakdown of how responses were obtained: NUMBER % mail return 94 80 telephone contact 24 20 The survey results show that: - 38.E or 45 employers have employees who operate a VD►r for four continuous hours and are therefore covered by the guidelines; - 65% of the covered employers either follow the Voluntary Guidelines or equal and similar policies; - 22% report they follow two of the major elements of the Guidelines; - 11% report they follow at least one of the elements of the Guidelines; - 2% report they follow no aspects of the Guidelines. In response to question #6 on the survey which was intended for the employer to make an assessment of the impact of safety measures utilized, 18 or 40% responded as to whether or not they have seen improvement in safety. The responses are as follows: NUMBER % GREHATT v 3 17 MODERATELY 6 33 SLIGHTLY 1 6 NO IMPROVEMENT 3 17 DON'T KNOW 5 28 TOTAL 18 101 (DUE TO ROUNDING % IS 101 INSTEAD OF 100) In response to question #7, 43 employers or 360 of the total respondents indicated interest in receiving more information. The Task Force will begin assembling a package of information to meet these requests. In summary, considerable information can be gleaned from the survey responses and the Task Force will utilize much of this information to assist us in focusing our efforts for the 1993 year. Internal Operations Committee -4- December 14, 1992 III. DT MITICK OF VOrrnJr*M GUISE ES AMID DISSENEINMON OF VDT II TICK The Task Force recognizes the iuportance of continued publication and dissemination of the Voluntary Guidelines and other information to assist in informing and educating the business ocmmwnity about issues related to VDI' use. Wile most of our efforts over this past year have been focused on conducting the aforementioned survey and ommpleting the establishment of the resource collection' at the Library, we have been involved in activities to distribute and publicize the Voluntary Guidelines and the Library Resource Collection. Some of the activities in this area that were accomplished this year include: - Attendance at the Contra Costa County Chamber of Caatmierce Joint Tradeshow Mixer - The Task Force had a booth at this event that was staffed by Task Force members. Several hundred employers visited the Tradeshow and most of them stopped by our booth where we had available and distributed to them copies of the Voluntary Guide- lines and information on the Library Resource Collection. County Libraries - Copies of the voluntary guidelines are now available at all County libraries. Press Release - A press release to inform the business ca mnznity about the guidelines, the Library Resource Collection and the reoently conducted survey will be published in the Concord Chamber of Ccamnerce newsletter. The newsletter is circulated to approximately 1,100 employers. In addition, a copy of the Guidelines will be distributed with the newsletter. - We Have received a commitment from Manpower Zenporary Services to distribute the Guidelines to businesses with their word processing referrals. We are currently speaking with other temporary agencies to distribute the guidelines in the same manner. - The Treasurer-Pax Collector's Office has agreed to make copies of the guidelines available at their public counter. Other activities in this area being worked on include: The Public Health and CCHP divisions of the Health Services Department have agreed to work with the Task Force in the distribution of the VDr guidelines. The CCHP division will send out the guidelines with their next newsletter. The Public Health division will work with the Task Force in identifying the best means for distribution, which may include making the guidelines available at clinics within the County. Internal Operations Committee -5- December 14, 1992 - The Contra Costa Council publishes a newsletter, The Business Voice, which is distributed to employers in the County. Plans are currently underway to issue a press release with their next issue in March 1993. The press release will include information about the guidelines, the Library Resource Collection, and the recently conducted survey. - We are still. exploring the possibility of having the Voluntary Guidelines included in the mailings of other organizations such as the Contra Costa Water District and the Central Sanitary District. We are working with the County Administrator's Office to develop ways to air information about the Guidelines and the Library Resource Collection on Contra Costa Television (CCPV) . In addition to local advertisement, the VDT efforts of the County continue to receive national recognition.. In our December 5, 1991 report to you, we pointed out that the County had been selected by a New Jersey based consultant commissioned by IBM to develop a report on activities being undertaken by employers to address VDT safety in the workplace. The consultant, R. F. Bettendorf, visited us this year to gain more information and has written a draft report regarding our activities. A copy of the draft report is Attachment #5. We have not yet been informed when the report will be published. I.V. LTEPAW RESOURCE CDIZB=aN The Library Resource Collection has been completed and has been on special display at the Central Library in Pleasant Hill since last spring. The collection includes a variety of materials as outlined in our February 24, 1992 report to you. In conjunction with the collection, the Library has developed a guide for use by patrons to assist them in locating VDI' related materials (Attachment '#6) . In addition to completing the establishment of the collection, the Library accomplished many of the tasks it proposed to accomplish this year. Some of them include: , A. Added several new pamphlets. B. Conducted on-line literature searches to identify and locate recently published periodical and journal articles in January, April, July and December and duplicated major articles for inclusion in a binder of journal articles on VDT safety. C. Monitored lists of new publications from Federal, state and local government agencies for material on VDT safety. D. Clipped, copied and filed in a binder newspaper articles on VDT safety. E. Publicized the availability of the material through presentation to branch librarians. Internal Operations Committee -6- December 14, 1992 F. Along with other Task Force Members, visited the labor Occupational Health Program Library, Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of. California, Berkeley to exchange information about available resources and pave the way for inter-library referrals and cooperation. G. Produced a list of current articles on VDT safety which are available at the Central Library. V. 00UNrY IIMP10YEFS AMID VD►p GUIIEZA2 S Risk Management continues to work with county employees on Vim related issues. In 1991, the division completed training approximately 1800 VDT users. In 1992, they focused on individuals and select job classifications with problems. Special platforms were built for employees if not available through catalogs. In addition, they have contracted with Eastman Office Supply to obtain vDT accessories within 24 hours (Attachment #7 is a pictorial list) . They have also involved the Health Services' physical therapists in surveying occupations with VDr injury trends such as in the Clerk's office and Health Service's registration. VI. OTHER R ACTIVI'F M In the spring of 1992, the Task Force solicited the support of James Sheedy, O.D. , Ph. D., U. C. Berkeley Associate Clinical Professor and James Cones, M.D., MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of U. C. San Francisco and Medical Director of the Occupational Health Clinic to assist the Task Force in formulating methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the provisions covered by the voluntary guidelines. Both .professors attended a Task Force meeting, which resulted in proposals by the professors to perform studies with Contra Costa County employers to evaluate the effectiveness of the provisions covered by the guidelines. Due to the Task Force's lack of a budget and staff, implementation of these proposals is not feasible. VII. WOW PIAN FOR 1993 Our 1993 work plan focuses on two primary areas which include disseminating information regarding the voluntary guidelines and recruiting new Task Force members. A meeting is being planned for January 1993 to establish subcommittees to work on the various areas of the work plan. At this meeting, quarterly meeting dates of all Task Force members will be determined. The following activities are planned for the 1993 work plan: 1. With the aid of information obtained in the survey, attempt to identify the type of businesses who are more likely to have employees meeting the criteria of the guidelines of operating a VDI' for four continuous hours and target them for most of the dissemination of information. Internal Operations Camnittee -7- December 14, 1992. 2. Attest to identify and recruit, as Task Force members, those persons within an organization most likely to be responsible for implementation of the Guidelines. A subca mnittee to achieve this has already been formed. 3. Further explore channels to distribute and disseminate information. Some of these areas were mentioned earlier in this report and other areas include contacting caputer manufacturers such as Apple and IBI to suggest including a copy of the guidelines in box containers when acuprters are sold; contacting computer retail stores such as Umputerland to suggest making the guidelines available at the counter where purchases are made, and contacting schools frown the elementary level to junior college and tradeschool level to suggest making the guidelines available to students enrolled in computer classes. 4. Review our survey methodology, questionnaire and 1992 survey results to determine how these might be inpraved. VIII. SUMMARY In 1992, the primary focus of the Task Force was completing the development of the Library Resource Collection and conducting a survey of employers who had VDI' operators meeting the four continuous hours criteria of the Voluntary Guidelines. . These tasks were accomplished in addition to other activities to distribute the Voluntary Guidelines and disseminate VDT information. In the coming year, the Task Force will focus its efforts on exploring new ideas for recruiting Task Force members and new approaches to disseminating VDI' information. EKB/TH Attachments ATTACHMENT 1 NAME OF BUSINESS INSTRUCTIONS: Please answerthequestionsbelow byeirclingthe response thatappliestoyourorganizafion. L Do any of your employees work steadily with video display terminals(VDT)for at least four continuous hours per day? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO If your answer to the above item is"NO",skip to question#7. 2. Does your organization use the Contra Costa County.Voluntary VDT Guidelines(a copy is attached)? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO If your answer to the above item is"YES",skip to question#6. 3. Do your employees who use-VDTs receive training and education about safe use? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO 4. Are your employees who use VDTs permitted to take periodic breaks or allowed to perform alternate work for 15 minutes every two hours? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO S. Does your organization have a purchasing policy for furniture,equipment and accessories that are appropriate for proper VDT use? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO 6. Since your organization began using the Contra Costa County Voluntary Guidelines/similar safety measures,employee safety has improved: (CIRCLE ONE) GREATLY - MODERATELY - SLIGHTLY - NO IMPROVEMENT - DON'T KNOW 7. 1s your organization interested in implementing a VDT safety program or receiving more information? (CIRCLE ONE) YES NO 8. Type of business 9. Number of employees THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TRUE TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE. PLEASE RETURN IN THE ENCLOSED SELF-ADDRESSED,SELF-STAMPED ENVELOPE. SPACE IS PROVIDED BELOW FOR ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. Co ATTACHMENT 2 Contra 'E ` Personnel Department °��--�� L► \ Administration Bldg. Costa 651 Pine Street County �•.,. . Martinez, California 94553-1292 October 23 , 1992 Dear Respondent, The Contra Costa County Board of .Supervisors in conjunction with the Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal (VDT) Task Force developed and distributed Voluntary VDT Guidelines (a copy is enclosed) last year for use by employers in the County. In order to determine the effectiveness of these guidelines, we are requesting that .you complete the enclosed survey: The survey should take you approximately five minutes to complete. It contains nine questions in which most require only a "Yes" or "No" response. None of the questions should be hard or tricky; you ' will find that they are both short and easy. There are no right or wrong answers and your responses will be completely confidential. Your company was randomly selected from among 5, 000 employers in Contra Costa County to participate in this survey; therefore, your responses and input are very important for we are unable to substitute another employer. Please return your completed survey by November 2, 1992 in the enclosed self-addressed, self-stamped envelope. We thank you in advance for your participation and cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact VDT Project Coordinators Elizabeth Garcia at 646-2185 or Tonza Harvey at 646-4057. Sincerely, Iab t Garcia Tonza Harvey VDT Project Coordinator VDT Project Coordinator enclosures ATTACHMENT 3 SCRIPT FOR VDT TELEPHONE SURVEY IDENTIFY SELF AND ORGANIZATION: "Hello my name is and I am calling on behalf of the Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal Task Force. Is there , a Safety officer for your company that I can speak with. " IF THE PERSON SAYS THERE IS NO SAFETY OFFICER OR DOES NOT KNOW WHO SAFETY OFFICER IS ASK: "May I speak with your Personnel Officer or someone who handles personnel for your company?" WHEN CONNECTED WITH THE SAFETY OFFICER OR PERSONNEL OFFICER SAY: "Hello my name is , and I am calling on behalf of the Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal Task Force. The reason I am calling you is because a couple of weeks ago the Task Force mailed out a survey to employers who were randomly selected in Contra Costa County. Your company was one of those employers. The survey was regarding computer use by employees in your organization. A lot of employers completed and returned the surveys; however, some of them did not have the name of the company on them. Alsof we are not sure how many companies may have not received them through the mail, and we have .,not been able to idenitify any of the returned surveys as being from your company. The survey was very short; it consists of only 9 questions and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. I would like to know if you could take a moment and respond to the questions over the phone. " IF YOU SENSE THAT THE PERSON IS UNEASY ABOUT THE CALL OFFER TO FAX THE SURVEY. IF THE PERSON SAYS THEY DO NOT HAVE TIME OR ASK YOU TO MAIL THEM THE SURVEY, OFFER TO FAX. IF THIS IS OK FAX THE SURVEY ALONG WITH THE COVER LETTER. IF THE PERFON SAYS YES AND YOU HAVE NOT WRITTEN THEIR NAME DOWN MAKE SURE YOU GET THEIR NAME. THEN ASK: "How many people work for - your company?" (primarily concerned about that location not other locations) . Next ask the first question on the - survey and ask next questions according to respones received. AFTER YOU HAVE ASKED ALL QUESTIONS SAY: "Thank you for taking the time to assist us. " ATTACHMENT 4 ai u G crs a o z ro w W y o U � � C U1 o Q .1441 ro w U •_ N a) N O VJ Y • (n y m a1 44 1 G C O tyl v o U r+ Q 41 rn G � 00 401 G > cf w 0 o, .moi w ro a u1 N m r-i to b r4 $ w , g 0. m � $4 � d 4) N U ro ctl 'Oui1 qo .°ai1 qo Ua• rOai1 �pGI +4 OO N V + tTU NN 14 � + -tj a �Oa1a $4m o 4 41 r1 iro s CJ' v .+ u G qUyy y .gPyp ]CO yE 44 �y5 •.01 A0Op aq O q4J X OONpciiO U rl 0oh G � W V 'M tll $0 4-4 H 14 ;8 y 6 93 39pWO 6 � a0 + i p UP. E \ aO) U N O b 7 74 �+ -4 °% w w O � 00 0 0 ?44� 4J u] Ln 41 41 pp oo pp NN a1 a1 -i Cq N -4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .N-4 -4 -1 -4 .4 -4 � N N N N N N N N N N N m en cv) 1c+f d' � 4J O n t" N T P� W C C q C G C q C C C C C C C q C C C C C C C C q q G q C C q q C W ro 4-) O s b � o W C C C C C Q ❑ C C C C G G C G C q CJ C C O Q C roL7 C C A O C q b O G D a) �+ $4 O 0 En a) l C R G CGCC0 C C q C O R C C CGCC CLn C CC C V O G a m ai ro ro ro ro roro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro '� P C C G C G g C C C C G G C C G C C C C C C C C C C C C g C q C C C O •rl a) U) m ro ro ro ro ro ro �p ro ro m ro ro C ro �p ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro O Z C C C C C C C C C G C c G 0 C c q 0 C 0 C C G C q C C 0 C C C C 0 C G 0 C C C C C In �4 124 � v N a1 LI-4 A A c G G c c c �p /0 t0 `0 e6 ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro w ro ro ro ro 0 0 0 0 ro 0 0 o C C C G C C C C C G C G C G G C C C C C C C C C G C C C }4 O b 0 � - O O U -' J H a1 C G C C G ❑ G C G 0 C C C G 0 C C 0 C q G U p�+j .�{ •ri NO U F41 d $4 4-1 W U aZS H J '`3 W rq GN r-1 U Pp0 a •rl R W O Ot to •ArtUOUl '.7drqUl dUN U U p� ^ ++ •yryA.j�.l a aW97 � LyiA U •COO.i q d WU Nq t0 0 N U. 41 q U .-1 . 'i 4) dU+) 4J > H H W' UA � O to 0 � O 'A - i E 0 N "i a •prro N O d q yq10G-L�. ro N . 7 W 4+ O 0 93� 4J S4 y aU vcnWy ++ 41JQ 01 WUa 34 Uq N 4J 4 '' a' p4ca ro U`� Warn md �qp +�y' 1 aS4 a sS t .1.4 m a m E) a � 'c u m v � aa rm o 1 0 M .9 100 `-13t o a yo A. y a O '0 a a 4J P- q EU a a A 4oa bt Lo a Vi ri N tr CN rn v ry yy.� V' V Ln t!) Ln tO tO LO ID tD LO ID tr t- l- co ON aN OC. q 14 'q rq Ln � N N N tD 00 -4 -4 -4 th t"Y M cn dW Ln w q C q q q C G q A C C p+ 0.1 W A W Rr A D+ pt A N CCCVVV��111 W � a ` a c a a a a `� a s c c 2 G a a a o a a a a c '� a '� c c a c iLl C q C C C C C A C to C G C C C 0 q G G C A Q C G G C G O G C G q G A C o` ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro to 'ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro to ro ro ro ro ro w to q q q C q q q q q q q q C q q q q q q q q q q q C q q q q q q t- q q q C ro 0 ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro tp ro t0 ro0 0 % ro to to ro to c0 ro to 0 t0 to ro m .tO ro ro to ro t7�p ro �D p CR G coC . coG Go Q C tqp �qp �tpp O C C G R C C C Q C C C C G = r- C Q moo O J 41 -a O ❑ VqJ +•) O p., 61, Upp, H 4J 14 UN O+ •'•I •.Ci •.i R O +� O rl �0 ++ O U U +-1 f0 � A +' fC IC N H C r1 1-4 41 N"1pU C U .0 yC, R O tM N y G U N ri p > U +1r1 ❑C+ C �d r� C V r�pi +yp+ C+ •'�'.i rel O U W q @eC U -H !�/! .r�i •.U7 ++ C ('2) th G UD 4J Cl) 14 N N W O •.Ui E ) 31 G�7 V ri H M N ,0 gE 14 41 (00 rl ❑N -1 +J ++ 414J 10 44 44 0 0 U ++ H w t) d H N r. ,tqq d qSF�� O 8C N •.i O � � �3 �0 3•i N f0 O U b Q - •O �N 0 Q1 � f0 7 C 11- 0 N f�0 •rI N 04 •N H W U a ++ E U N v a a� r7 ++ a W F P+ C� C +j o 0 0 V1 O :n O N O Lf) N 00 r-0 C) 1!'1 O CO O Cl .-i O4 O to O CD y,� O �,y O O ` � Ln [� Ln -+ � -4 �' .N -4 � r+ -4 rn kO r- r+ w l� .-� M N n u .-+ O L!1 'd' e•+ .ri d' a0 �O p'pG � A A C A A A A A C Q A D•� A A M A A A A A A A A A G C C. A A A A G C A � p pG N O a P+I C C C C C C." C A W A Dy Dr A A C C C A A A A A A A A A A A A A C G C WC.. I q C R C C C C C C C C C C C C C G A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A C C m C �Q C7 ,t7 P C C q C C C C C C C C C C C C G C C C ❑ C C C C C C C C C C A A W A M A Ep �qa y C O A W A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A W 04 A A A A A A A A A A A 04 A A d 4J 41 �a n oa •.J N 0 U A N W w vi w vl N N O 'O • 1 . d G ❑ .0 . A O •.i 4j� rn W ri e +� d ya) 4 FL GpL, ❑ t(a ' 'D po Q�1t (yyt� 10 N C1 T•. N � 3 O .0 b .ZO R E 11- . O O O .CF%-1 N N N ..-1 N d' C � �o N ppq ppp��y A ❑ G A 4 C b G A A A G HNp A 9 � W W rn E E E c •Q C FO E v1 P+I G C A r A C C K C A A . IG C C C G G C C G A A A W W C31 A A A A A A A A A A A A Ln 1 C-04 1 � I � 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 I I I 1 I 1 A A A A A A 04 A A A A :A � I O 1 ATTACHMENT 5 POSITIVE VDT PROFILES ( CONTRA COSTA COUNTY DRAFT California's Contra Costa County has developed a very unique approach to address the subject of office ergonomics. The county implemented a comprehensive ergonomics program for its own employees. It also was instrumental in forming a coalition with industry and labor, to develop and adopt a set of voluntary VDT guidelines for the private sector workers in the county. Background Contra Costa County is one of the largest counties in California. It is located on San Francisco Bay, to the east of San Francisco. The county has over 6000 employees, of which, about 25% are VDT or PC users. Eileen Bitten, the Assistant Director of Personnel for the county, recalled the genesis of Contra Costa's VDT initiatives: "It all. started at the Board of Supervisors Celebration for Working Women. During this celebration, the question of women's safety in the workplace for women was raised. Specifically, does the widespread use of computer terminals pose a health threat to their predominately female users?" As a result of this question, Sunne McPeak, a member of the Board of Supervisors, requested a staff report on whether there was a need for a VDT ordinance in the county. The County's legal council, public health officer and personnel department were asked to coordinate their responses. The County Council conducted a legal analysis of a possible County VDT ordinance. According to Ms. Bitten, "The bottom line of the legal analysis was that a statute regulating safety of the work place was preempted by CAL OSHA. Therefore, if the county enacted an ordinance, it would probably be challenged in the courts and would likely be overturned. " Dr. Ruth Lowengart, County Health Manager, developed the medical report. She concluded that the claimed risks of radiation and stress due to computer use were not supported by the scientific literature. Further, if there was any risk, it . would be quite small. However, she also concluded that the literature did support that improvements to electronic workstations could reduce operator's musculoskeletal and visual complaints. There was, therefore, a need to address the musculoskeletal and vision concerns that can be 1 associated with terminal use. While the medical and legal analyses .were being completed, the county's Personnel Department began discussions with the business community. . Business groups generally felt that an ordinance was unnecessary and would be very burdensome, particularly to the smaller employers. However, business did recognize the need to address the ergonomic issues. In fact, many of the largest companies in Contra Costa County already had office ergonomic programs in place. Conclusions of the Board of Supervisors The staffs reported their findings to the Board. Based upon the medical and legal opinions, the board decided against trying to enact VDT legislation. The county's legal opinion was confirmed two years later, when the City of San Francisco's VDT Ordinance was overturned in the courts. However, the Board still wanted to take action on these matters.. Since. the staffs had agreed on the need for a VDT ergonomic program for county employees, the Board decided that a program should be enacted. Business seemed to be agreeable to address the ergonomic issues. Therefore, the Board requested that a task force be formed to look at the possibility of voluntary VDT guidelines for private sector VDT operators. Members on the task force would include representatives from the- county personnel department, business and organized labor. The Contra Costa County VDT Program. The county's program is outlined in the Administrative Bulletin, "Video Display Terminal Health and Safety Program" that was published on 4/17/90. It covers all county employees who work on a VDT more than 20 hours per week. The opening paragraph of this bulletin summarizes the intent and- major elements of the program: "The following policies. and procedures have been adopted as minimum requirements to protect the health and safety of .employees using video display terminals. (VDT's) and other electronic video equipment. These policies apply when it is necessary to purchase additional furniture or, as the budget allows, for the replacement of existing furniture. To ensure the safety and health of. VDT 2 operators, Departments must address the following areas: • .Ergonomically designed equipment, furniture and accessories. • Proper maintenance of equipment and furniture. • Proper illumination and reduction of screen glare. • Notifying employees of existing vision care benefits. • Work breaks/alternate work. • Education and training programs. " The bulletin also describes the duties and responsibility of the various staff functions within the county administration. It emphasizes the employees' responsibility to use their equipment in the proper manner. The largest section of the bulletin deals with the VDT equipment and workstation guidelines. There are specific sections that outline the requirements for keyboards, visual display units or monitors, chairs, worksurfaces, ergonomic accessories, lighting, work breaks, vision care and training. The major element of the county's program was. the training program. A two tier program was established -- a two hour training session for supervisors and a one hour session for employees. Supervisor's Training The supervisor's training program was defined and implemented by Dr. Lowengart. The objective of the supervisor's program is to provide them with training on the principles of good ergonomics and 'to define the supervisor's specific responsibilities to: 1. Ensure that all employees are provided with appropriate VDT terminal equipment, furniture and accessories. Any replacement furniture . should meet the guidelines of the administrative bulletin. However, purchase of costly items might have to be delayed due to budget constraints. 2. Train employees in the proper use and adjustment of the equipment provided to them. 3.. Provide the necessary supervision to ensure that their .employees are using their equipment and furniture properly and . that appropriate work practices are being used. 4. Ensure that all current operators are trained by April 1991. Future newly hired operators, or those who are transferred into VDT operator positions must attend the employee VDT operator training program provided by .Risk Management within 90 days of hire or transfer. 3 A video, "Ergonomics of the VDT Workstation" is used to introduce. the principles of good ergonomics. . After showing the video, the possible vision and musculoskeletal health complaints of employees are described. How the workstation, properly used, can help reduce them is then discussed. The following principles of good ergonomics are demonstrated: - how to adjust the chair to achieve the proper typing position (arms parallel to the floor, wrists in a neutral position) . The other elements of chair adjustability are also covered. - how to achieve the proper posture with both adjustable and fixed worksurfaces. - the need for proper display height with the top of the monitor at or slightly below eye level. - how to control glare by proper monitor placement. - why it might be necessary to reduce lighting levels by removing light bulbs. Common ergonomics accessories are shown. The supervisors were urged to provide document holders, footrests, wrist rests, and other ergonomic accessories where they are required. The supervisors were reminded that county employees would be given annual vision exams and single vision corrective lenses if required. The procedures to deal with any employee's persistent difficulties or discomforts were outlined. Supervisors were told that specific 'worksite evaluations by a county expert, could be requested if required. The employee training program After the supervisors were trained, the employee training took place. Larry Moss, a Safety Specialist for the county, conducted most. of the employee training that had the following objectives; to help users understand the VDT workstation comfort and safety issues; to teach practical solutions to. improve their workstations and to reduce any on-the-job discomforts; and to help them learn some exercises which can help relieve fatigue. According to Mr. Moss, each training session. starts with every participant stating their name, the kind of VDT work they do, how many hours they work on the VDT and what kinds of problems they are experiencing with VDT work. The video "Ergonomics of the VDT Workstation" is then shown. The video is followed by .a detailed discussion of the principles of 4 r good ergonomics. A highly interactive training approach is employed to reinforce the key ergonomic points to be made. Vision and musculoskeletal discomforts are discussed along with ways to alleviate them. Proper chair adjustment is demonstrated. Some simple stretching exercises are also demonstrated. The OSHA booklet, "Working Safely with Video Display Terminals", is given to each participant. The class ends with a simple cartoon that shows an operator seated at a VDT. The class is asked to list 5 errors in how this workstation is set up. This provides for a reinforcement of the key messages that are being taught. Mr. Moss feels that the program has been very successful. "To date, over 1500 operators and supervisors have attended formal training sessions. Users, almost universally, are very appreciative. They have read about these health concerns and are pleased that the county is doing something about them. The program has helped our :employees avoid musculoskeletal and vision discomforts. " Mr. Moss continued, "The use of ergonomic accessories has gone a long way towards resolving the problems we are uncovering. Departments are providing what's required in a non-budget busting way. In fact, I have had to recommend new workstations in only one six person department where the existing furniture could not be made ergonomically acceptable. " 'The Contra Costa County Video Display Terminal Voluntary Guidelines As requested by the Board of Supervisors, a joint business, labor and county task force was formed to develop voluntary guidelines for private sector VDT workers. Michael Dunne, Director of Government Activities and Communications, was the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce representative on the task force. Though there were several business representatives on the task force, his role was to represent the smaller businesses. The Concord Chamber has about 1000 members and 96% of them have less than 55 employees. Mr. Dunne summarized the business position as follows, "From the beginning, we were opposed to a mandatory VDT ordinance for several reasons. There is no credible scientific evidence that confirms that it is required. We also felt that the larger employers were already doing more than the ordinance would require. The real burden would fall .on the smaller employer who had less need for it and who would have a hard time absorbing the costs of the ordinance. " 5 "However, " he continued, "we didn't want to just say no. i� Therefore, we ' thought - that voluntary guidelines would be an acceptable alternative. " Steven Roberti is the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council, the parent organization of the 85 unions in Contra Costa County. These unions have a membership of 35 to 40 thousand workers. He noted that the Service Employee International Union played the key labor role on the task force with the support of other unions such as the CWA, IBEW and AFCSME. According.. to Mr. .Roberti, the role of the unions in this whole process was to provide political pressure for legislation; "The Central Labor Council and its interested affiliates did go to Contra Costa County to request a VDT ordinance. This request predated the City of San Francisco VDT initiatives. I am sure that the pressure we applied resulted in the County's review of the need for legislation and its subsequent calling of this VDT task force. " "We also got the attention of the business community, " he continued. "It was really the smaller employers that we were trying to focus on. Companies like Chevron, the Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PAC Bell would .meet the guidelines." When the task force convened, a decision was made to address the radiation and stress issues since they were so controversial, they lacked sound scientific support, and there seemed to be little that could be done to deal with them. However, it was felt that . something could and should be done on the ergonomic issues. 'The task force concluded that it should take a two step approach; first, develop a set of guidelines that represented good ergonomic practice that would address the key ergonomic issues; then it should broadly communicate their content and value to the .business community. The task force decided to use the county VDT program as a starting point. Eventually, consensus. was reached on the Contra Costa County - Video Display Terminal Voluntary Guidelines. These guidelines contained sections on . definitions, VDT equipment, workstation furniture (chairs and worksurfaces) , accessories, lighting considerations, provisions for alternative work, vision care and training. Appendix I has a reprint of the guidelines. According to Mr. Roberti, "Everybody seemed comfortable with the guidelines that were developed. " Once the guidelines were agreed to, the Chamber's role was to communicate their content to the business community. Through its newsletter, the Chamber told its members why it was against mandatory but did support these voluntary guidelines. A copy of the voluntary guidelines was mailed to all the member companies. 6 The Chamber also highlighted that the county would develop and t maintain a VDT library.- It could be used by employers and VDT operators to answer questions and develop ergonomic solutions. Though still skeptical about whether the smaller employers will do what is needed to improve the workplace, Mr. Roberti did state that the Chamber was very cooperative in trying to communicate the need. for the smaller employers to act on these issues. However, he raised an additional concern. There are other occupations with greater potential risks. A good example is a waiter or waitress balancing a heavy tray with a fully extended wrist. They and several other job types are not, but should be, covered by ergonomic guidelines. The VDT Fair A major element of the overall business program was a VDT Fair that was held on September 23, 1991. It was a full day session, introduced by Supervisor McPeak. Presentations were made by local experts on the topics of the importance to VDT workers' health; an analysis of the causes of illness linked to VDT use; proper workstation design; radiation and vision issues; and employee training. The seminar was sponsored by the members of the task force. There were several exhibitors whose products and services complemented the information being discussed. The seminar was a great success. Over 140 people from the local business, labor and VDT user communities attended. There was general agreement that it was an excellent seminar, well attended, and with good information content. Conclusion The Contra Costa program can serve as a model to other government jurisdictions. The progress being made and the response to its internal office ergonomics program has been excellent. It has all'. the elements necessary for success; management commitment; a sound and comprehensive program; emphasis on education for both supervisors and employees; and a process to resolve individual situations, where necessary. According to Ms. Bitten, "The employees are very pleased with the program. The purchasing and data processing departments are providing the support needed. Much progress has been made in addressing these issues; even with tough budget constraints. " 7 On the question of voluntary vs. mandatory VDT guidelines for the private sector VDT workers, she emphatically stated, "We took the right approach. If we had taken the legislative route, we might still be arguing about what to do. We would not have made the progress that we have made. It might also stop companies from doing anything until the requirements are clearly spelled out." She added, "I have also heard from another jurisdiction that they are concerned with the cost of implementation of a VDT ordinance. If they have a law, they must enforce it. People are required to do inspections and provide enforcement. Local governments just don't have money for items like this. " . She concludes by stating, "In the long run, it's always better to motivate people do things voluntarily. " . 8 . - - - -- -- -.' __.... ��., �.�...-,.. r,i•i ii, . Fes.�/'� ATTACHMENT 6 HOW TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINAL (VDT) SAFETY At the Central Library Contra Costa County Library System 1750 Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant till, CA 94523 510-646-6434 BOOKS AND VIDEO: 617.7 Godnig, Edward C. COMPUTERS AND VISUAL STRESS: HOW TO ENHANCE VISUAL COMFORT WHILE USING COMPUTERS. 1990. &R651.3 WORKSTATION DESIGN FOR CURRENT OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS. 1985. Video ERGONOMICS OF THE VDT WORKSTATION (A looseleat manual accompanies this 004.77 video). To locate other bucks use 11 iv lullvwutiy subject headinas td seareh the Library'c CD ROM catalog: CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME--TREATMENT COMPUTER TERMINALS--HEALTH ASPECTS HUMAN ENGINEERING VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINALS--HEALTH ASPECTS VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINAL—HYGIENE ASPECTS PERIODICALS: The library subscribes to VDT NEWS available in the Periodicals Section. The quarterly publication JS&HQ: JOB SAFTEY & HEALTH QUARTERLY with informative articles on workplace safety is available in the Government Documents Section. To find information on VDT safety in other magazines, use the following subject headings to search INFOTRAC'S MAGAZINE INDEX or READER'S GUIDE TO PERIODICAL LITERATURE in the Main Room of the Library and BUSINESS PERIODICALS INDEX in the Business Reference Section: CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME ERGONOMICS REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURIES VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINALS--HEALTH ASPECTS or PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS II_: L I bm:Hln'i HL41 I 14. P. NEWSPAPERS: The library subscribes to the Christian Science Monitor,the Los Angeles Times,the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post all of which are indexed in the NATIONAL NEWSPAPER INDEX a microfilm index located in the Main Room. The Library also subscribes to the San Francisco Chronicle which has its own print index located in Aisle 8 of the stacks in the Main Room. Use the same subject headings suggested for the magazine indexes to search the newspaper indexes, GOVERNMENTS PUBLICATIONS! HE20.7102: CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME, Selected Reference. (U.S. C22 Dept. of Health and Human Services). 1989. HE20.7114: NIOSH PUBLICATIONS ON VIDEO DISPLAY TERMINALS. (U.S. Dept. of Health V66/991 and Human Services). 1991. A CD-ROM catalog of other U.S. publications issued since July 1976 is located in the Government Documents Section. Use similar subject headings to those listed above to search this catalog. Publications not owned by this library may be available on interlibrary loan. PAMPHLETS: The library has pamphlets on VDT safety including VDT USER'S GUIDE TO BETTER VISION from the American Optometric Association and WORKING WITH DISPLAYS:VDTS AND VISION from the Center for Office Technology. Pamphlets to borrow will be found in the pamphlet file in the Main Room under the heading VIDEO ,PISPLAY TERMINALS. Additional material will be found in the Reference Pamphlet File in the Reference kRoom under the same heading, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Use the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ASSOCIATIONS available at the Information Desk to locate directory and descriptive information about the American Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Association, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, the Center for Office Technology, the International Ergonomics Association and other organizations and associations which focus on workplace health and safety. Labor Occupational Health Program Library Institute of Industrial Relations , University of California, Berkeley .2521 Channing Way Berkeley, CA 94720 510-642-5507 A unique occupational health resource in the Bay Area,open to the public. Collects and makes available books,pamphlets, papers, factsheets,newspapers and journals on VDT safety,standards and regulations, and government policy. arn/vz 12/92 ERGONOMIC COMPUTER SUPPLIES REVISED 9/92 ANTI GLARE SCREEN �YYW� CRT Valet Wall Mount A OCLI Universal Plus MCA645LWC EA • 1 • r.ct Eas"an ReVewntati"for Monitor Attachment =ect monitorsizing. MCA62W NON-CODE EA • 11 ' COPYHOLDERS CRT Riser 1;� MCA Keyboard Drawer MCM80 EA $27.54 Attachment Deskt • f Style MCA1 811 NIC EA $21.35 FELM100 EA $11.23 MONITOR STANDS � v ClampDesk Style CRT Valet, Clamp Style FEL21105 EA $29.79 A640L EA $74.23 Due to manufacturer variations,product may vary,.slightly from the product pictured / l REVISED 9192 ERGONOMIC COMPUTER SUPPLIES FOOTRESTS WRISTRESTS cc Adjustable • • OCU F000TIStsDesktop • Padded, Ultra ImageDeluxe '1. EA $112.48 MM t • 1 Adjustable Footrest Underdesk Padded/Adjustable MCA460 EA $30.92 MCA620 EA 2' • MCA68M $14.04 KEYBOARD DRAWERS �`- v~~v•M y� • 1� Keyboard • • rm Underdesk Articulating With adjustable wristrest. Deskto• MCA626 EA $106.85 MCA610 EA $44.42 MCA860 NIC EA $28.78 Due to manufacturer variations,product may vary slightly from the product pictured