Guidelines

Employers should establish work procedures for teachers/lecturers and pupils/students and give instruction on their adoption so that:

• Staring directly into the projector beam is avoided at all times.
• Standing facing into the beam is minimised. Users, especially pupils and students, should try to keep their backs to the beam as much as possible.
• In this regard, the use of a stick or laser pointer to avoid the need for the user to enter the beam is recommended.
• Pupils and students are adequately supervised when they are asked to point out something on the screen.
• Employers should also try to ensure that projectors are located out of the sight line from the screen to the audience; this ensures that, when presenters look at the audience, they do not also have to stare at the projector lamp. The best way to achieve this is by ceiling-mounting rather than floor or table-mounting the projector.

In order to minimise the lamp power needed to project a visible presentation, employers should use room blinds to reduce ambient light levels.

Similar advice is available at the following web sites: this guidance was produced as a result of HSE consultation with these agencies:

Association of Colleges:

• http://www.aoc.co.uk/Members/health_safety/briefings04/health_safety_15_04/view

BECTA:

• http://www.becta.org.uk/leas/display.cfm?section=14_5_3

DfES:

• http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/educationoverview/briefing/currentstrategy/interactivewhiteboards/
• http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthandsafety/other/projectors/

National Union of Teachers:

• http://www.teachers.org.uk/resources/pdf/working-with-computers.pdf