Version: 2025.1

Date of Implementation: 1st Oct 2025

Short introduction for website

MOHAN Foundation is committed to protecting the physical, mental and digital well being of our staff, volunteers, learners and other participants whenever they engage with our online services - including recorded courses, live webinars, interactive workshops and livestreams hosted on www.mohanfoundation.org and el.mohanfoundation.org. This Digital Health & Safety Policy explains how we identify and manage digital health and safety risks, how responsibilities are allocated, and what practical steps we take to reduce the harms associated with prolonged screen use, online events, and digital learning.

This policy complements our data protection, safeguarding and accessibility policies and is intended for: Foundation Directors, managers, course authors, facilitators, technical staff, moderators, and learners.

1. Purpose and scope
   Purpose. To prevent or minimise risks to physical and mental health arising from use of digital platforms operated by MOHAN Foundation, and to provide clear responsibilities and practical guidance for safe digital working and learning.
   Scope. This policy applies to:
   • All staff, contractors, volunteers and third party facilitators engaged by MOHAN Foundation.
   • All learners, participants and visitors who use the MOHAN Foundation website and eLearning platform (el.mohanfoundation.org) to attend recorded courses, webinars or live sessions.
   • Any third party platforms or tools used under MOHAN FoundationТs control (e.g., video conferencing platforms, LMS hosting, streaming services).
   It covers: workstation ergonomics and Display Screen Equipment (DSE); recommended break schedules; mental wellbeing and screen time guidance; safety measures for live events and recorded materials; consent for recording; moderation and safeguarding during live events; incident reporting and escalation; training and review.


2. Legal & regulatory context
   MOHAN Foundation will comply with all applicable Indian laws and regulations and industry best practice relevant to digital services, workplace health, and online education - including but not limited to the Information Technology Act and relevant labour and employment standards. Where international partners or participants are involved, we will also take into account relevant international guidance.


3. Responsibilities
   3.1 Board of Directors and Executive Leadership
   • Endorse and publish the Digital Health & Safety Policy.
   • Ensure adequate resources (time, training, technical support) are available for implementation.
   • Regularly review policy effectiveness and approve updates.
   3.2 Senior Manager / Head of eLearning
   • Own daily responsibility for implementing and maintaining the policy for el.mohanfoundation.org.
   • Ensure course creators, facilitators and moderators receive appropriate guidance and training.
   • Maintain vendor and platform contracts to ensure they meet safety and accessibility obligations.
   3.3 Managers and Course Leads
   • Implement safe working practices for teams and ensure DSE guidance is shared.
   • Schedule course delivery in ways that allow adequate breaks for facilitators and learners.
   • Ensure that sessions have clear moderation, safeguarding rules and emergency contact points.
   3.4 Technical & Platform Team
   • Keep platform software up to date and apply security patches.
   • Provide clear technical minimums and guidance for participants (bandwidth, browser, recommended devices).
   • Maintain logging and monitoring sufficient to support incident investigation (consistent with privacy obligations).
   3.5 Facilitators, Presenters & Moderators
   • Start and end sessions on time to respect break guidance.
   • Remind participants about breaks, DSE posture and wellbeing during longer sessions.
   • Follow moderation and safeguarding procedures; escalate welfare concerns immediately to a named manager or safeguarding lead.
   3.6 Employees, Volunteers & Learners
   • Follow the guidance and break schedules in this policy and any session-specific instructions given by facilitators.
   • Report any incident, near-miss, or health/wellbeing concern arising from digital activities to their manager or via the incident reporting channel.


4. Practical guidance for safe digital working and learning
   Display Screen Equipment (DSE) - recommended practices
   • Micro-breaks: Take a 2Ц3 minute micro break every 20 minutes (stretch, blink, stand).
   • Hourly break: Take a 5Ц10 minute break every hour (move away from screen, hydrate).
   • Session planning: For live lectures or webinars longer than 60 minutes, schedule at least one 5Ц10 minute break (or break content into shorter modules).
   • Workstation posture: Ensure monitor is at eye level, back supported, feet flat on the floor or footrest; maintain neutral wrist posture when typing.
   • Lighting & glare: Reduce screen glare; avoid bright lights directly behind or in front of the monitor.
   • Hydration & nutrition: Keep water nearby and encourage healthy snacks rather than sugary foods during long sessions.
   • For web meetings: Ensure that you sit in a lighted room with light in front of you and not behind. Test your microphone, camera, and bandwidth before starting the meeting or session.
   
   Recommended ergonomic checklist for participants
   • Screen height such that the top third of the display is approximately at eye level.
   • Keyboard/mouse positioned so forearms are roughly parallel to the desk.
   • Use a chair with lumbar support or a cushion.
   • Use headphones with a microphone if in noisy environments or when privacy is needed.
   
   Mental wellbeing and screen fatigue
   • Acknowledge digital fatigue: facilitators will monitor pace and use interactive segments to reduce passive listening.
   • Offer optional short wellness checks during multi day courses (e.g., brief guided stretching or breathing exercises).
   • Provide signposting to internal wellbeing contacts and external professional support (HR contact, employee assistance programmes, or local counselling resources).


5. Live sessions, webinars & livestream safety
   • Consent & recordings: Participants must be informed at the start whether a session is being recorded; recordings will only be made with clear justification, minimal retention periods and appropriate data protection safeguards. Participants will be given the option to turn off their camera or use an anonymised display name where feasible.
   • Moderation: All public or interactive live events must have at least one moderator in addition to the presenter to manage chat, questions and any inappropriate behaviour.
   • Safeguarding: If a safeguarding concern (for example risk of harm to a participant or disclosure of abuse) arises during a live session, the moderator must follow the safeguarding escalation procedure immediately and record the incident in the incident log.
   • Privacy in chat/Q&A: Moderators will remove inappropriate or sensitive personal information posted in chat and will not share private participant details.
   • Technical failure & safety interruptions: Have a contingency plan (e.g., re-schedule, send recording) and an emergency contact (named person and phone/email) for each live event.


6. Recorded courses and on demand content
   • Content review: Learning materials will be reviewed to ensure they do not contain imagery or instructions likely to cause distress or encourage unhealthy behaviours.
   • Trigger warnings: Where material could cause distress (medical procedures, bereavement, etc.) a brief content warning will be provided before access.
   • Access & retention: Recordings will be stored only for as long as necessary to meet learning objectives and legal obligations; retention periods will be documented and enforced.


7. Accessibility & inclusion
   MOHAN Foundation is committed to accessible digital learning. Course materials should follow accessibility best practice: clear headings, alt text for images, readable fonts, captioning/subtitles for videos, transcripts for audio, and consideration of colour contrast. Reasonable adjustments will be made for learners with disabilities.


8. Data protection, confidentiality and third party platforms
   • This policy must be read alongside our Data Protection and Privacy Policy. Any personal data collected through the eLearning platform will be processed lawfully and stored securely.
   • When using third party platforms, MOHAN Foundation will ensure contractual safeguards are in place (data processing agreements, secure storage, role based access controls).
   • Sensitive health information disclosed by learners (for example in discussion of their own clinical conditions) should be treated as special category data and handled in line with the data protection policy.


9. Incident reporting, escalation & investigation
   • Reporting: All digital health and safety incidents, near misses or safeguarding concerns must be reported promptly using the FoundationТs incident form or to the named eLearning manager.
   • Escalation: Urgent welfare concerns should be escalated immediately to the safeguarding lead or the Director. Non urgent incidents will be reviewed within 10 working days.
   • Investigation & outcomes: The Foundation will investigate incidents proportionately, identify root causes, and take corrective actions (including technical fixes, content revisions, changes to scheduling, or additional training). Lessons learned will be shared with relevant teams.


10. Training & communications
    • All staff involved in content creation, facilitation or moderation must complete induction training covering this policy, DSE best practice, safeguarding basics and emergency procedures.
    • Learners will be provided a short orientation covering platform features, break guidance, how to report a concern, and how recordings will be used.
    • Regular refreshers and updates will be scheduled at least annually or when the platform changes materially.


11. Review and continuous improvement
    This policy will be reviewed at least annually or when there are material changes to the platform, delivery model or applicable law. The eLearning Lead will coordinate reviews and propose updates to the Board of Directors.


12. Signatures
    I confirm that I have read and understood the Digital Health & Safety Policy and agree to follow the standards and responsibilities set out.

For any assistance, please contact us: [email protected]