The following guidance on how to use Interactive Whiteboards is available on Becta’s web site:
www.becta.org.uk

All suppliers of interactive whiteboards are required to provide health and safety advice regarding the safe use of projectors which complies with requirements under section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

It’s important to be aware of the health and safety implications of using projection equipment such as interactive whiteboards in the classroom, particularly if children might stand in front of the beam to give presentations to the rest of the class. All projectors, if misused, have the potential to cause eye damage; so some simple guidelines should be followed:

• Make clear to all users that no one should stare directly into the beam of the projector.
• When entering the beam, users should not look towards the audience for more than a few seconds.
• Encourage users to keep their backs to the projector beam when standing in it
• Children should be supervised at all times when a projector is being used.

A maximum of 1,500 ANSI lumens is normally adequate for projection equipment in most classroom environments. The only exception might be extreme ambient lighting conditions. In this case the advice is to use window blinds rather than increasing the brightness of the projector.

When purchasing or using a projector for purposes when it is likely that a person will be standing in front of the beam, consider using a method of brightness reduction, such as a neutral density filter or brightness adjustment facility. These modifications can be removed or adjusted for other purposes such as cinema projections, when no one will be standing in front of the beam, allowing the projector to be used to its full potential.

Becta

Download the advice from Becta on Health and Safety .

National Union of Teachers:

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

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