Right to breaks

LadyMissA

heretolearn wrote: »

The only guidance is that it can't be at the start or the end of the working day so in theory yes, they could say you have to go to lunch at 10am. But how many employees would they keep?

Just because people tell you stuff doesn't make it true. You need to check for yourself. It's easy to google H&S breaks and the official info is all there for you. It's better to double check than tell other people things that are not right.

you are all going on about h&s but how safe is it staring at a pc screen then from 11am to 5pm if you are made to go to lunch at 10am? Only asking ok before I get jumped on

hcb42

I would have thought that for most people working 9a-5p then they would be lunching somewhere between1130am and 2pm if scheduled on lunch.

I think starting work at 9am and then being forced to take lunch at 10am would lead to a lot of staff dissatisfaction. Of course a lot of employees these days cover shifts around the clock, hence why 10am "lunch" (or more likely, late breakfast of some kind) is not that uncommon

Mudd14

LadyMissA wrote: »

you are all going on about h&s but how safe is it staring at a pc screen then from 11am to 5pm if you are made to go to lunch at 10am? Only asking ok before I get jumped on

Reread the thread, it is advised that you regular breaks away from VDU's doing work that isnt in front of a screen.

Dont trust everything a union says, most of the time they dont get it right (in my experience)

hcb42

It would also need to be intense vdu work, very often most of us are not actually staring at a screen 8 hours a day , we are interacting with colleagues, in mini meetings, answering telephone calls and the like.

LadyMissA

Mudd14 wrote: »

Reread the thread, it is advised that you have 10 minutes away from a VDU every hour.

Dont trust everything a union says, most of the time they dont get it right (in my experience)

i have read the thread and I was not in a union and we had no rest breaks from the screen, just saying. How would we get the job done if we stopped every hour? We would lose 1 hour a day

Having said that they never did things by the book and we would be told to get another job if we didnt like it. not everyone is covered by H&S in my experience

Mudd14

LadyMissA wrote: »

not everyone is covered by H&S in my experience

I'll think you'll find they are!

LadyMissA

Mudd14 wrote: »

I'll think you'll find they are!

so If I had said to my boss I am taking a break off the pc every hour what would have happened?

poppy_f1

LadyMissA wrote: »

i have read the thread and I was not in a union and we had no rest breaks from the screen, just saying. How would we get the job done if we stopped every hour? We would lose 1 hour a day

Having said that they never did things by the book and we would be told to get another job if we didnt like it. not everyone is covered by H&S in my experience

going to the toilet, going to get a cuppa or drink of water team meetings, reviews with a manger all would count as time away from your PC
its not a definiate 10 mins every hour thats factored into a working day

LadyMissA

poppy_f1 wrote: »

going to the toilet, going to get a cuppa or drink of water team meetings, reviews with a manger all would count as time away from your PC
its not a definiate 10 mins every hour thats factored into a working day

we had someone who was monitered going to the loo!! LOL

SarEl

poppy_f1 wrote: »

going to the toilet, going to get a cuppa or drink of water team meetings, reviews with a manger all would count as time away from your PC
its not a definiate 10 mins every hour thats factored into a working day

As is reading something from paper, tidying some files etc. But I think that everyone will also appreciate that the 10 minutes away from intensive vdu work is also guidance - not law. The test of its application is not through enforcement - the HSE cannot enforce this guidance. But if someone makes a claim for damages, say because of eye problems related to vdu use, then the employer is skating on thin ice if they can't show that the advised workers to do this, and did not prevent them from being able to.

On vdu breaks, whilst some employers are not good, I have to say that we are often our own worst enemies - it's often us that don't do it! It's a subject close to my heart at the moment. As an employer, our staff are always told this as part of their h&s induction, and whilst there are often varied tasks to do anyway, it is also true that few of them ever monitor "have I been sitting here typing up this brief for two hours???" In recent months, as a side effect of medication, I have developed dry eyes and now discover quite painfully at times how often I ignore it! Having been forced to take this on board myself I now nag everyone else - to utterly no effect!