29. 4. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 113/7 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Directive concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for 
work with visual display units (') 
COM(88) 77 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 11 March 1988) 
(88/C 113/07) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 118A 
thereof, 
Having regard to the Commission proposal drawn up 
after consultation with the Advisory Committee on 
Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work (2), 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Article 118A of the Treaty provides that the 
Council shall adopt, by means of directives, minimum 
requirements for encouraging improvements as regards 
the health and safety of workers, especially in the 
working environment; 
Whereas Article 118A also recommends that Directives 
shall avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal 
constraints which would hold back the creation and 
development of small and medium-sized undertakings; 
Whereas the Communication from the Commission on 
its programme concerning safety, hygiene and health at 
work (3) provides for the adoption of directives designed 
to guarantee the safety and health of workers; 
Whereas Member States have a responsibility to ensure 
the safety and health of persons on their territory, and of 
workers in particular; 
Whereas Member States' legislative systems differ widely 
with regard to the prevention- of risks relating to work 
with visual display units (VDUs); 
0) COM(88) 73 final. 
(2) Council Decision 74/325/EEC of 17 June 1974. 
(5) COM(87) 520 final — Council Resolution 88/C28/01 of 21 
December 1987 (OJ No C 28, 3. 2. 1988). Whereas Council Directive 83/189/EEC of 28 March 
1983 lays down a procedure for the provision of infor­
mation in the field of technical standards and regu­
lations (4); 
Whereas, in order to achieve the maximum degree of 
protection which is reasonably practicable, it is essential 
that workers and their representatives be informed of the 
risks to their safety and health and of the measures 
required to reduce or eliminate these risks, and be 
allowed to verify that the necessary protective measures 
have indeed been taken; 
Whereas employers must keep abreast of technological 
progress in order to provide optimum safety and health 
protection for their workers; 
Whereas the requirements for work with VDUs are 
essentially expressed in terms of the desired results; 
Whereas under the new approach to technical harmoni­
zation and standards (5) it is desirable to have access to 
technical reports detailing certain technical specifi­
cations; 
Whereas a committee composed of members nominated 
by the Member States needs to be set up to assist the 
Commission in implementing the supplementary 
measures provided for by the Directive, 
HAD ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
1. This Directive, which is an individual Directive 
within the meaning of Article 13 of Directive . . ., lays 
down minimum safety and health requirements for work 
with visual display units (VDUs) as defined in Article 2. 
(4) OJ L 109, 26. 4. 1983, p. 8. 
(s) Council Resolution of 7 May 1985 (OJ No C 136, 4. 6. 
1985). 
NoC 113/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 4. 88 
2. This Directive shall apply to all work stations 
equipped with a VDU. 
It shall not apply to drivers' cabs or control cabs for 
vehicles or machinery, nor to onboard computer systems. 
Article 2 
For the purposes of this Directive, the following terms 
have the meaning hereby assigned to them: 
— 'Visual display unit': an alphanumeric screen, 
regardless of the display process employed. 
— 'Work station': the assembly comprising the display 
screen, keyboard, peripherals including the printer, 
the manuscript containing the data, the work chair, 
the work desk, and the immediate work environment. 
— 'Worker': any person using a VDU. 
Article 3 
1. Member States shall take all necessary measures to 
ensure that VDU work cannot compromise the safety or 
health of workers. 
2. Member States shall ensure that the necessary 
checks pursuant to paragraph 1 are carried out. 
Article 4 
1. Employers shall be obliged to perform an analysis 
of work stations in order to evaluate the safety and 
health risks to workers. 
2. They shall, where necessary, take appropriate 
remedial measures in the light of*the risks found. 
Article 5 
Work stations put into service two years after the entry 
into force of this Directive shall take into account at 
least the minimum requirements laid down in the Annex 
to this Directive. 
Article 6 
Existing work stations not covered by Article 5 shall be 
adapted, in so far as is reasonably possible, to comply 
with the minimum requirements laid down in the Annex 
to this Directive. 
Article 7 
1. Every worker involved in VDU work shall receive 
adequate training before commencing this type of work 
and at regular intervals thereafter. 
2. Workers shall receive information on all aspects of 
health and safety relating to their work station, including 
the possible effects on their eyes and physical or mental 
problems. Article 8 
Workers or their representatives shall be consulted by the 
employer on the measures taken pursuant to this 
Directive which concern them directly, and in particular 
on the measures taken pursuant to Article 6. 
Article 9 
Workers shall have an appropriate ophthalmological 
examination prior to commencing VDU work if they 
report visual discomforts which may be connected with 
the work. 
The worker shall be provided with special glasses tested 
for the work concerned if an ophthalmological exam­
ination shows that they are required and that glasses 
intended for normal purposes cannot be used. 
Article 10 
1. The Commission shall adapt the Annex to this 
Directive to take account of technical progress and 
developments in regulations, giving priority to the 
European standards. 
2. For the purpose of making the adaptations referred 
to in paragraph 1 the Commission shall be assisted by a 
committee, following the procedure laid down in Article 
14 of Directive . . . 
Article 11 
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, 
regulations and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive by 1 January 1991 at the 
latest and shall forthwith inform the Commission 
thereof. 
2. Member States shall communicate to the 
Commission the texts of the provisions of national law 
which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive. 
Any technical regulations which Member States intend to 
adopt under this Directive shall be communicated to the 
Commission at the draft stage in accordance with the 
procedure laid down in Article 8 of Council Directive 
83/189/EEC of 28 March 1983 laying down a 
procedure for the provision of information in the field of 
technical standards and regulations. 
3. Member States shall report to the Commission 
every two years on the practical implementation of the 
provisions of this Directive, indicating the points of view 
of employers and workers. The Commission shall inform 
the committee and the tripartite committee. 
Article 12 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
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MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING WORR WITH VISUAL DISPLAY UNITS ^VOUs^ 
t D^spl^ysc^eeo 
The characters on the screen shall be welldefmed and clearly formed, of adequate size and with 
adequate spacing betweenthe characters and lines Theimageonthe screen shouldbe stable,with no 
flickering or other forms of instability 
The brightness contrastbetween the characters and the background shall beeasily adjustable by the 
operator 
The screen shall, as far as reasonably practicable, be rotatable,tiltable and movable to suit the needs of 
the operator 
^ Keyboard 
Thekeyboardshallbeseparatefromthescreensoastoallowtheworkertofmd asuitable working 
position avoiding muscle fatigue in the arms and hands The space around the keyboard shall be 
sufficient to provide support for the hands and arms of the operator 
The keyboard shall have a matt surface to avoid reflective glare, the keys shall have lowreflectance 
surfaces and concave tops 
The symbols cm the keys shall be adequately contrasted 
^ Wo^kdesk 
The work desk shall haveasufficiently large,lowreflective surface and allowaflexible arrangement of 
the screen, keyboard, documents and related equipment 
The document holder shall be situated onthe desk on the same level as the display screento minimize 
the need for rapid head and eye movements 
Adequate leg space is necessary 
^t Wo^kcb^r 
The work chair shall be stable but allow the worker easy freedom of movement 
The seat height shall be adjustable, and all chairs shall have back rests adjustable in height and tilt The 
possible need forafootrest shall be taken into account 
^ L^h^^ 
Suitable ambient lighting is required so as to provide satisfactory working conditions and an appropriate 
contrast between the screen and the background environment 
Lamps for secondaryactivities shall be provided where necessary,they shall be adjustable but shall not 
cause glare or reflections on the screen 
D Re^Iec^oos^^d^Iare 
AVDUshall be positioned so that neither the screen nor the operator are facingawmdow Windows 
shall be fitted withasuitable system of adjustable covering 
^ No^e 
The printer shall be placed where it does not distract attention or disturb speech 
^ H^^d^ty 
An adequate level of humidity shall be established and maintained 
Thepsychosocialfactors applicable to workon screen andprogram writing ^software developments 
shall be taken into account 
The principles of software ergonomics shall be applied in particular to human data processing and 
decisionmaking capacities