What are the requirements for health and safety in an ICT classroom?

A good starting point for you would be the Health and Safety Executive's "Display Screen equipment work; Guidance on Regulations" originally published in 1992 due to be updated in Feb 2003 (and legally enforceable). If you visit a public library you will find many textbooks that offer guidance associated with these regulations. I would suggest that those aimed at Trade Unions are often clearest and most rigorous while those intended for SME (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) can be variable. Strictly, these regulations apply to staff who must use computers as part of their employment but clearly the school also has significant health and safety obligations toward the pupils.

Legally schools do, of course, have a duty of care - indeed they are acting in loco parentis.  However, it does mean that the Health and Safety at Work etc, Act 1974 and all that hangs from it might apply to the teacher but not the pupil.  Regulations such as the Display Screen Guidelines, therefore, are not directly applicable to school children.  I would however, regard them as indicative and willful disregard might be regarded as significant if anything went wrong and a legal action ensued.  As this would likely be a civil action I could see the Court accepting such information as evidence "on the balance of probabilities".  Croner produce a useful legal guide for head teachers which you can find details of via www.croner.co.uk/. 

I should also remind you that employees do not need to be paid - volunteers and pupils on placement can come under the normal Health and Safety legislation.  The Health and Safety Executive web site at www.hse.gov.uk and their InfoLine (08701 545 500) are good places to start if you need more information about these matters. 

The DfES has some guidance on its web site, e.g. on furniture and buildings at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/schoolbuildings and I know the TUC, NUT and NASUWT provide guidance for staff.

If you are in a secondary school your pupils are getting towards small female adult in size.  Adjustable chairs and foot rests together with tables towards the low cost end supplied by office equipment suppliers should be fine.  But you will need to explain how to adjust the chairs and make sure that the pupils take breaks - say 10 or 15 minutes in every hour.  In my experience, you must remember that for a great variety of reasons pupils often do not complain - they expect to survive in an adult world so you must look out for them - encourage them to report discomfort/pain etc and do something about it!

Most Universities now offer some form of guidance to those using computer - not least about taking breaks because no posture/workstation set up is perfect.  One of the best I know of comes from San Diego - www-ehs.ucsd.edu/ergo/ergobk/vdttoc.htm.

IBM also has good information on its site at www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing but do remember, yet again, they
are talking about adults and not school children who are yet to reach skeletal maturity. There is also a lack of specific information concerning the design of computer suites; especially those that are to be used by pupils of a range of ages and thus sizes.

One, fairly academic source is "Physical and psychosocial aspects of the learning environment in information technology rich classrooms" by David B Zandvliet & Leon M Straker in Volume 44 (part 9) Pages:838-857 in the journal Ergonomics (2001).

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