Pointless ‘workstation safety’ training …

To assure as well as ensure compliance, today I completed some ‘workstation safety’ training for work. A standardised experience, I apparently completed the last session in 2012. Not that I can remember this.

Using an external company I completed a twenty minute educational experience that would be described as cramming too many facts to as little detail in such a short time.

The muscular and skeletal detail was impressive, but in my biased/cynical view added nothing to the purpose of the exercise. Which, wait for it, was to get an external party to encourage me to tick an internal compliance box.

One fact that did amuse me was I ticked three boxes, one for the use of smart phones, another for laptops and a third for users of double displays.

Apparently I must refrain from spending too much time typing on my smart phone. Well, lets go figure, mainly because it’s bleeding awkward. There was mention of tablet devices in this resource, which is interesting as they have now been pervasive for at least four or more years. I find that prolonged typing on my iPad can be uncomfortable, almost as bad as using my ZX81 over 30 years ago (when RSI and workstation use was not a consideration).

Also the advice on laptop use made me hoot. Looking around in cafes, I cannot see many souls trying to work on the suggested raised workstation format advised. It is as if the laptop is designed to be static not portable.

Some of the laptop advice would appear to be out of a comic version of using IT for duffers. Apparently the interiors of most cars are not designed for laptop use. Well blow me; there is something that I wouldn’t have ever known. Maybe the car ergonomists should remove that silly round thing above my lap.

Sigh another case of compliance making less sense than a fish needing a bike.

Anyway, you will be pleased to know that I passed the training, which was completed in a café before a more interesting meeting this morning. Bet your bottom dollar that I was breaking more than one rule.



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