Since the implementation of Siebel in 2005, CPSU members have been raising various health and safety concerns. Your union has taken these concerns to management through the ATO’s health and safety forums.
Additionally, CPSU has continually sought to have these concerns addressed as part of our TB09 claims.
The main causes of concern are:
Font size
Eye strain
Increased use of mousing
Overuse injury
Screen colour
Screen resolution
Compatibility with adaptive technology
The ATO consistently advised CPSU that Siebel complied with Australian and ATO standards.
In response to CPSU pressure, the ATO revised the risk assessment and commissioned an independent specialist assessment of the Siebel font size. An Occupational Optometry Specialist Certified Professional Ergonomist carried out the font size assessment in January 2009.
The ATO has refused numerous CPSU requests to release the report. Instead, they issued an action plan that only includes administrative controls. This type of solution is the least effective as it doesn’t eliminate the hazard, but relies on individual workers to control it.
As the CPSU was finalising action to obtain the font size report and its findings (including a formal request under FOI legislation), the ATO finally released this report to the National Executive Health Safety and Wellbeing where the CPSU is represented in the first week of June.
Testing process
Testing was based on the ATO’s Graphical User Interface (GUI) standards for LAN-based computer systems and user interfaces, particularly screen and keyboard design.
This standard requires that all onscreen text will be able to be displayed at a size of at least 3mm. This is consistent with the Australian Standard.
Report findings
Testing found that the majority of the text displayed on Siebel is 2mm to 2.5mm high and therefore does not comply with either the Australian or the ATO GUI standards.
The report notes that screen resolutions would allow the font size to comply with the standards, but this would create other problems, as the display is not set to its optimum resolution:
The clarity of the displayed text is reduced, and is harder to read.
Less of the screen page can be seen and the user is required to scroll using the mouse to view all items on the page increasing risk of overuse injuries.
Other issues identified in the report are:
Text consistency
Left justification and use of plain text
Colour
Posture of users
Width of screen and head movements
Monitor height
Eyesight impacts on the ageing workforce
Report recommendations
The report provides various ‘engineering’ and ‘administrative’ controls for improving visual comfort for Siebel users. These include modifying the Siebel system so that the font size is at least 3 mm.
The ATO action plan is to change the way we work, not to fix the system. This is not good enough.
The CPSU will continue to take action until Siebel is able to meet required standards.
What you can do
Raise all health and safety issues associated with Siebel with your team leader, heath and safety representative, and delegate.
Utilise recuperative breaks (a 5 min break for each 25 mins of screen-based work).
Lodge an incident reports if you experience any pain or other health concerns.
Have your eyes tested. The ATO will reimburse you for the cost of an eyesight test every two years, or for a test relating to the onset of symptoms (eg. blurred vision or headaches). You should report any such symptoms via an incident report before proceeding to testing.
ATO system rates below eyesight safety standards.
By Stuart Finlayson on IT news online 16 June 2009 02:55PM
An independent report commissioned by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has found that its Siebel-based CRM (sales) system could cause damage to user's eyesight.
The report, prepared by independent optometry expert Jennifer Long Visual Ergonomics in January this year, was commissioned by the ATO in response to pressure from the CPSU (Community and Public Sector Union).
According to the union, ATO staff have been raising health and safety concerns about the ATO's Customer Relationship Management system since it was installed by Oracle subsidiary Siebel in 2005.
The union claims the ATO yielded to pressure to release the report after the CPSU commenced proceedings to obtain it under FOI (Freedom of Information) legislation.
The report found that on a large proportion of the workstations at the ATO, the font size of the majority of the text displayed on the Siebel system was between 2 and 2.5mm, short of the minimum recommended size of 3mm as stated by both the ATO's own Graphical User Interface standards and the Australian standard.
The report recommends the ATO allow regular rest breaks for users of the system and provide regular eye examinations for users over the age of 40.
The ATO plans to persist with the system but to manipulate it in such a way that makes the text appear at least 3mm. One method is to reduce the resolution, but while this allows the user to view the text in a larger scale, it also renders it more difficult to read.
"The ATO action plan is to change the way we work, not to fix the system," a CPSU spokesperson stated. "This is not good enough.
"The CPSU will continue to take action until [the] Siebel [system] is able to meet required standards."
The Australian Tax Office has been contacted for further comment.
