Finnish discourses of the stakeholders on development of the implementation of EU legislation concerned with occupational safety and health in computer work

Abstract

The overall research objective was to empirically develop the ideas around a system of occupational safety and health (OSH) practices in visual display unit (VDU) work, to describe their relationship with the OSH legislation and to explore how these best practices work to achieve positive results. The aim of the present study was to explore qualitative perceptions of the stakeholders (Finnish Employers' Associations, Employees Organizations and OSH Governmental Inspectorates) concerning the way that the OSH legislation on VDU work is being applied at work. Many stakeholders claim that technological advances require that in OSH the VDU legislation should be updated, especially that it should be clarified, e.g., when does the VDU worker have the right to obtain special eyeglasses needed for VDU work. Many stakeholders believe that additional guidelines concerning practical ergonomic arrangements in VDU work environment and eyeglasses of the VDU workers are needed. In VDU ergonomics, the co-operation between workplace and occupational health care professionals needs to be developed.

Keywords: EU; VDU; computer; directive; employees; employers; health; inspectors; qualitative; safety.