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Legal and accessibility requirements:

1.Sending confidential information

On this page:

    Introduction

    Any type of communication (letters, emails and electronic documents) that include types of personal or commercial data needs to be marked accordingly.

    What information will need to be marked?

    If a document, data set or email contains any of the following types of information it needs to be marked:

    • personally identifies a customer, including internal customers, and will have damaging consequences to the customer, the council or a partner organisation of the council if disclosed inappropriately or lost
    • is financially or legally sensitive and will have damaging consequences to the council, a customer of the council or a partner organisation of the council if disclosed inappropriately or lost.

    What is damaging consequences?

    What should be classified as ‘damaging consequences’ is dependent on the judgment of individual services.

    Below is a list of some examples of what could be classed as ‘damaging consequences’:

    • significant negative press coverage
    • significant financial damage, including from legal proceedings
    • likelihood of placing vulnerable people at risk
    • significant damage to commercial relationships.

    Remember, the vast majority of council documents will not need to be protectively marked. Marking should be used as an exception and for only the most sensitive information.

    How do I mark my information?

    Official-sensitive

    The protective marking of ‘OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE’ must be used for all sensitive emails as well as internal documents. This mark must be carried at the top and bottom of the document in the header and footer.

    Letters - Page 2 onwards

    If a letter containing confidential information has more than one page, the first page and each following page must be marked ‘OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE’ in the header and footer of the document.

    Other documents

    Any document containing personal or commercial data, including completed forms, records or reports must be marked ‘OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE’ in the header and footer of the document.

    Find out more about our eyecare voucher scheme

    Take regular screen breaks

    Make sure you take regular screen breaks to give your eyes the rest they need. Here are some tips to help you do this:

    1. Vary your tasks

    Try to plan and switch between screen and non-screen work so that you naturally get a break.

    2. Set a timer

    Take frequent, short breaks every hour with 5 to 10 minutes away from your screen, this could be to:

    • make a drink
    • do some stretches
    • go to the printer.

    3. Follow the 20-20-20 rule

    Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eye muscles a rest.

    4. Remember to blink!

    Blinking is the eye’s way of getting the moisture it needs on its surface. It also cleans the surface of your eye of any debris and washes it out with fresh tears.

    If you're talking to someone or looking at objects in the distance, you normally blink 30 to 40 times per minute. But when you are reading on a screen, your blinking naturally slows to 3 to 5 times per minute.

    By making a conscious effort to blink more often, this will help to keep the surface of your eyes from drying out and also sharpen your vision.

    Make your display work for you

    1. Position your screen correctly

    If your screen isn’t set up correctly, you may be unnecessarily straining your eyes.

    Your eyes should be roughly the same height as the top of the screen. If you find yourself leaning forward to peer at the screen bring the screen closer and/or adjust the font size so it is easier for you to read.

    2. Reduce glare and reflections

    Make sure you have a clear view of the screen with no glare or reflections.

    If daylight is shining on your screen you could:

    • close the blinds
    • tilt the screen
    • reposition yourself and the screen.

    3. Check image quality

    Make sure that your screen display is clear and flicker free. You may need to adjust the colours, brightness or contrast to make it clearer.

    Any text should be crisp and readable. Try adjusting the zoom or making the text larger if you experience difficulty.

    Get your eyes checked regularly

    As a regular DSE user, you should get your eyes checked every 2 years.

    You can get a full eye examination at no cost to you. If you need glasses solely for the use of digital screen equipment, you can also get a contribution towards this.

    Employee confidential helpline

    0330 380 0658

    Speak to fully qualified counsellors and support specialists at any time, 365 days a year.

    Use code 107574 to access the online resources.

    More about the employee assistance programme

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