The BBC announced this week that its infamous television centre, located in Shepherds Bush, has been put up for sale. After more than 50 years of broadcasting from the site, the BBC is moving its operations to Salford; a move that has sparked an interest in health and safety concerns regarding chairs.
The organisation's health and safety officers are taking steps to assist employees in choosing the correct chairs when they make the move to Salford. Employees are to choose between three different models of swivel chair, and will be shown how to sit on them correctly by the officers, who have been unofficially branded as "chair champions", to ensure they are following health and safety procedures.
This is a move that has been criticised and ridiculed by politicians and media sources alike, despite the fact that an incorrectly adjusted chair can eventually cause health concerns. Guidance currently on the NHS website advises how to sit properly, claiming a correctly adjusted seat can help to avoid back pain and repetitive strain injuries.
In addition the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations SI 1992/2792 state that anyone using a workstation, which includes the work chair, must receive training from their employer regarding health and safety.
Whilst the leader of the Conservative group on Salford council, Karen Garrido, claimed it was a waste of money, the BBC has defended its decision to provide such training, stating that "every BBC staff member is given training on how to use their chairs as part of their health and safety training exercise. It is standard practice for inductions to new buildings".
