If your job involves a screen (and let’s be honest, whose doesn’t these days), the setup you’re working from matters more than you might think. From the legislation behind it to a checklist you can actually use, here’s everything you need to know about DSE assessments and why they’re worth taking seriously.
What is Display Screen Equipment?
Display Screen Equipment (DSE) includes any electronic device that has a display screen, including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. As these devices became more commonplace in private and working lives, the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations were introduced in 1992, ensuring employers were committed to their employees’ health when using these devices for long periods of time.
What is the current Display Screen Equipment legislation?
In plain English, the regulations put a legal duty on employers to look after any “DSE user”, which is anyone who uses a screen as a significant, regular part of their job. That could be someone glued to a monitor all day in the office, someone working from a laptop at their kitchen table, or someone splitting their week between the two. Hybrid and home workers are covered just as much as anyone at a desk in HQ.
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 are still the ones in use today, just with a bit of a refresh. They were tweaked in 2002 to catch up with how much technology (and our relationship with it) had changed since the early 90s, and they’ve stuck around in more or less the same shape ever since, even after Brexit.
So what does the law actually ask employers to do? At a high level, it boils down to five things:
- Carry out a workstation assessment for every DSE user
- Make sure workstations meet certain minimum standards
- Plan work so people get breaks or a change of activity away from the screen
- Provide an eye test if an employee asks for one, and pay for glasses if they’re needed specifically for DSE work
- Give employees the training and information they need to set up and use their workstation safely
If any of these steps are skipped, it becomes a legal issue. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can issue improvement notices, and in more serious cases, non-compliance can lead to prosecution. More importantly though, getting it right just makes for a healthier, more comfortable workforce, which tends to be a happier and more productive one too.
What is a Display Screen Equipment assessment?
A DSE assessment is what the HSE asks employees to fill out to ensure their workstation is set up as required. The idea is to spot anything that could cause discomfort, strain or long-term health problems and fix the cause before it becomes too much of an issue.
A full DSE assessment looks at the entire picture of every employee, including their equipment (chair, desk, screens), their setup (positioning, posture), their environment (lighting, space) and the way they work (taking regular breaks, stretching their legs, switching tasks).
Assessments should happen as soon as someone starts a new role, but they should also be completed if someone’s workstation changes, their health changes (through pregnancy, surgery or a new diagnosis), or they report discomfort.
Many employers now use a simple self-assessment checklist that employees fill in themselves, which is then reviewed by someone responsible for health and safety. It’s quick, it’s straightforward, and it means the employee is responsible for their own comfort.
Of course, even the best checklist can only do so much if the underlying kit isn’t up to the job. An assessment might flag that a chair doesn’t offer enough lumbar support, or that a desk is fixed at a height that doesn’t suit everyone using it. Therefore, the assessment forces employers to think about how they can make their employee’s working life more comfortable.
Your DSE workstation checklist
Your employer will provide a DSE workstation checklist for you to fill out (and if they haven’t, then ask for one), but we’ve also provided a brief run down of everything on their checklist for you to assess your own workstation:
- Your keyboard
⬜ Is the keyboard separate from the screen and can it be tilted?
⬜ Can you type comfortably without extending your arms?
⬜ Are all the keys clear and visible on the keyboard?
- Your mouse
⬜ Is it positioned close to you and is there support for your wrist/arm?
⬜ Is the mouse suitable for your needs?
⬜ Can you adjust the speed and accuracy using settings?
- Your screens
⬜ Can you easily read everything on your screens?
⬜ Is the picture clear and free of flickering?
⬜ Is the brightness and contrast at a suitable level?
⬜ Can you tilt or swivel the screen?
- Your office chair
⬜ Is the seat height adjustable?
⬜ Are your feet flat on the floor (or flat on a footrest)?
⬜ Does your chair support your back? If not, do you have a backrest that does?
⬜ Can your back support be adjusted for angle and height?
⬜ Do your armrests offer support without forcing your shoulders up or restricting movement?
⬜ Do the castors work freely?
- Your desk
⬜ Do you have enough space to work comfortably?
⬜ Can you comfortably reach all the equipment you need without overstretching?
⬜ Does your desk height mean your forearms are horizontal when typing?
⬜ Is there glare from windows or lights on your screen?
- Your environment
⬜ Is there space to change position?
⬜ Are the lighting and room temperature suitable?
⬜ Are the noise levels suitable?
This checklist can be really useful if you work from home and want to assess your home space as well as your office space. If any of these have an answer of ‘no’, then consider how you can fix the problem. It might be that you need a larger desk, a more suitable office chair or a raiser for your monitor.
Whatever the issues are, a DSE assessment makes you consider the things that might be a problem and how you can fix them to make your working space as comfortable and suitable as possible.
