display screens at work regulations brands

Employers should protect their workers from any risks and hazards that are associated with their work. Although some people may work with heavy equipment that is dangerous to operate, there is also a risk that comes along with working at computers and with display screens, and this risk should be taken just as seriously.

Users of computer equipment can experience back pain, leg pain, repetitive strain injury, tennis elbow, eye strain, headaches and more. All of these problems can be easily addressed and potentially prevented before they become a recurring issue, through the proper use of display screen equipment.

The display screen equipment regulations implemented by HSE in 1992, cover how we should work with screens and computers in order to reduce the risk of temporary or permanent injury.

If you use a fixed workstation, mobile workstation or work from home, these regulations will apply to you. In order to comply with the regulations, employers should complete a workstation assessment and put into place an environment where workers are able to take regular breaks from working at the computer. Employers should also provide an eye test if it is asked for by the employee.

Aside from this, regular training should take place where workers are told how to sit properly at their desks. Although this could seem obvious: straight back, head facing the screen – it may not be possible for colleagues, in a way that you as an employer may not understand. For example, workers that use two computer screens will not be able to have a screen directly in front of them, and workers who are under average height will not be able to have their seat at the recommended height without their feet not touching the ground.

This training should be given to every new hire, as well as every year to existing staff. If staff members have injuries, pregnancies or existing illnesses like epilepsy, the training and display screen equipment assessment should be repeated in order to increase comfort and reduce the risk of injury.

During the workstation assessment, employers will look at the whole workstation: the equipment itself, the office furniture, and the working conditions, as well as the job that is being done. Nowadays, with a huge amount of labour carried out digitally, there are a growing number of people who work sitting at a computer all day.

The DSE workstation assessment also takes into account special requirements such as disabilities or existing injuries that might hinder workers’ comfort levels.

If risks are identified through a DSE workstation assessment, the assessor will make recommendations that should be carried out in order to reduce any negative impact on the health and safety of the workers in question.

Workstation assessments should be undertaken whenever a new workstation is set up, a new hire starts work, a change is made to an existing workstation or workers complain of pain or discomfort.

The desk should be large enough to accommodate everything that the user needs to complete their job. There should be enough room for workers to rest their forearms on the desk or in the keyboard position. Underneath the desk, there should be enough space to accommodate legs in a comfortable, forward-facing position. Footrests can be useful for those who are under average height.

There should be space in front of the keyboard for workers to rest their hands and wrists. If necessary, workers can use a wrist support or ergonomic keyboard to ease the strain on the fingers and wrists.

The mouse should be within easy reach and should have enough room to move around the whole computer screen. If necessary, workers can make use of a mousepad with wrist support to minimise strain.

It is possible to adjust the brightness and contrast to mitigate glare from windows or overhead lights – workers should be shown how to do this according to their personal preference. In order to minimise the risk of neck strain and shoulder pain, the screen should be directly in front of the user’s head when they are sitting straight at their desk.

Disclaimer:The information provided through Greenham Pulse is for general guidance only and is not legal advice. Greenham Pulse is not a substitute for Health and Safety consultancy. You should seek independent advice about any legal matter.

As you read through this document, you’ll see how they’ve evolved to encompass all aspects of working with DSE, from the chair to the mental health of the operative.

The aim of the Health and Safety at Work Act is so that we all know and understand what health and safety measures are needed in our workplaces, where we can find the information for them, and that they have been implemented so far as is reasonably practicable.’

This phrase is not a get out of free jail card – this is a – you need to look and see what needs implementing, and do it as far as is reasonably practicable.

This regulation is the benchmark for evaluating the workplace for any health and safety risks for display screen users – BUT – as this was the start of the digital age, they didn’t focus too much on the screen – it was more about the office environment and the ergonomics.

· Daily work routine – a bit Shakespearian in writing, but here’s a sample – 4. “Every employer shall so plan the activities of users at work in his undertaking that their daily work on display screen equipment is periodically interrupted by such breaks or changes of activity as reduce their workload at that equipment“.

Six years later and new realisations are emerging. Tech is becoming better; digital is more and more in our daily lives, the office chair and desk are regulated – so now we have the

“The use of work equipment is also very widely interpreted and ‘…means any activity involving work equipment and includes starting, stopping, programming, setting, transporting, repairing, modifying, maintaining, servicing and cleaning”.

The 1998 PUWER requires risks to people’s health and safety from equipment they use at work to be prevented or controlled. … safe for use, maintained in a safe condition; “used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction, and training”.

Nine years later, we are into the new millennium, and being faithful tech people, we are looking at DATA, and the impacts that working with DSE have on our bodies.

A variety of ill ­health symptoms have been associated with work with Display Screen Equipment (DSE), including musculoskeletal disorders, mental stress, and visual fatigue.

“However, there are substantial uncertainties, not least over the extent to which the provisions of the legislation have been fully implemented, and it cannot be safely concluded that the legislation has had no effect.”

Not that we have been able to find, but then we have just been living through 2020/2021, so we are sure there will be an update due to screen fatigue and zoom fatigue now being endemic.

How long before this list is used in the UK? Particularly if a DSE operator recognises that their eyesight has deteriorated because their employer has not been implementing the DSE regs?

This year saw the release of a DSE Safety Alert as it was noted “ There is evidence of non-compliance in the area of Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment as required by current legislation. The purpose of this Safety Alert is to highlight the importance of ensuring all workstations are assessed.”

So, by now, we realise that sitting in a chair all day, staring at a screen, is not great for the body, mind or soul, there is a vast list of injuries used by the USA insurance companies, a safety alert has been raised by Health and Safety England, so we need to start looking at limits.

“Following these guidelines ensures content is more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including accommodations for blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these, and some accommodation for learning disabilities and cognitive limitations.”

This ISO applies to all types of organisations. It applies to the breadth of ICT systems (Information and Communications Technology) within an organisation, including, but not limited to: information systems; intranet systems; websites; mobile and wearable applications; social media; and Internet of Things (IoT) systems.

Embedding the consideration of accessibility decisions through the entire process of developing, procuring, installing, operating and maintaining ICT systems, and documenting these choices.

Remember how the 2007 Data showed people carrying on regardless of illness, injury and poor mental health? Well, this set of regulations attempts to redress this.

Occupational health and safety management“Psychological health and safety at work – Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks guide psychological health and safety risks within an occupational health and safety management system.

This ISO addresses the many areas that can impact a worker’s psychological health, including ineffective communication, excessive pressure ( our note: not taking a lunch break, poor lighting, working late – staring at a screen that has not been calibrated for the user – i.e. straight out of the box – for over 9 hours a day), poor leadership and organisational culture.

We usually consider exposure control is required for chemicals or toxic substances. Still, here we are referring to exposure to visual health stressors – and yes – high on the list is the display screen, including the hours and hours we all spend looking at one – be that pc – phone or TV.

Overexposure to DSE presents as dry-eye syndrome and binocular visual disturbances (WHO ICD-10), debilitating myopic and asthenopic (eye stress) disease. This often presents as deficits in spatial awareness and blurred, or worse double vision, impairing learning and educational/work performance.

We know that frequent breaks are required, overexposure leads to physical and mental harm, and we know we need to take care of our most valuable asset – the employee.

The DSO creates the optimal, personal coloured background for the DSE user, mitigating the harms of overexposure and the disease associated with that, reducing stress, and having them shows compliance with the DSE regulations in that reasonably practical way.

Processing (understanding) visual information uses energy. For example, if you work harder to process visual information because certain colour combinations cause you pain or discomfort, you use up more energy, become fatigued and therefore less efficient and productive.

The term refers to the tone, contrast colours, brightness of the background and amount of text and images on a webpage or website, (now regulated by WCAG).

But more and more, people are noticing that colours and colour contrast can either enhance or detract from our well-being due to the amount of visual stress it causes.

And if you are a DSE operator, you want your eyes to work well, you want to be alert, you want to avoid pain, and you want to be as productive as you can be.

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With more organisations now choosing to adopt a hybrid working arrangement for their employees, the question of use of display screen equipment raises its head as to what the employer’s responsibilities are when employees are working from home. In this newsletter I’m going to concentrate on employees working from home and what the Display Screen Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 requires employers to do.

If you require your employees to work at home on computers or laptops, etc. on a long-term basis you will have the same range of responsibilities as you do towards users working in the workplace, whether or not you have provided the display screen equipment (workstation).

This will include an assessment of the risks from the use of their workstation. The assessment will need to cover any extra or special training and information required to compensate for the absence of direct day-to-day employer supervision and control of their working methods.

Assessment of the workstations used by your home workers is most easily achieved using a self-assessment checklist or software completed by users, following appropriate training which may be included in the software assessment system. If your workers use DSE in the home and office (sometimes referred to as hybrid working), the assessment should cover both situations.

When your employee works from home, either temporarily or permanently you should consider:The work activity that they will be carrying out (and for how long)?

You also need to ensure that home workers can achieve a comfortable, sustainable posture while working with DSE, and that any equipment provided is safe and suitable for use.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advice is that homeworkers may not necessarily need office-type furniture or equipment at home to achieve a good posture. Equally, a worker’s own furniture or equipment may not be suitable or sufficient. The DSE assessments should be used to help you to decide what is needed for your workers’ situations and circumstances.

It is not only you as the employer who has responsibilities under health and safety legislation. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, your employees also have a duty:

To inform you of any work situation that could present a danger to their health and safety or of any shortcomings in your health and safety arrangements

Your home workers should try to find a suitable area to work in, avoiding uncomfortable positions and make sure to take regular breaks. When working from home, employees should be advised to:Arrange their equipment and furniture so that they avoid trailing leads and cables.

You must provide information, instruction and health and safety training to users to help them identify risks and safe work practices. When training users, consider explaining:The risks from DSE work and the controls you have put in place

The simplest way to provide users with initial display screen equipment training is to do this via an online eLearning platform. Any additional requirements specific to your organisation can be provided through work procedures.

I’m mentioning this here as a reminder that the DSE regulations requires employers to provide an eyesight test for DSE users if they request one and you must pay for the test. It is up to you to decide how to do this, but you must tell your employees (provided they are a DSE user) of this entitlement. If they don’t exercise this entitlement, then that’s OK.

For home workers in relation to DSE your key responsibilities as an employer are pretty much the same as if they are working in the workplace. Use the information in this newsletter to make sure that you are putting in place what is required. So as a reminderCarry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of each workstations.

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If you want to discuss any health and safety matter, you can contact me by sending me a DM on LinkedIn or via email at info@howletthealthsafetyservices.co.uk

Display screen equipment - previously known as visual display units are used by millions of people every day, myself included, not only as I write this blog post, but I also spent a year working in a call centre for a huge company. So, other than the very angry people and the KPIs you had to entertain, one thing this particular company did get right were their obligations under the Display Screen Equipment Regulations (1992 & 2002).

To clarify - display screen equipment includes computers, laptops, touch screens and other devices that incorporate an alphanumeric or graphic display.  A user is someone who habitually uses DSE as part of their normal work. This piece isn"t aimed at people who use display screen equipment infrequently. An operator is a self-employed worker who habitually uses DSE for a significant part of their work.

Without proper instruction, most employees remain unaware of the serious impact the incorrect setup and use of DSE can have in the long term. It is a known fact that poorly arranged or equipped workstations are a major contributing factor of many work-related upper limb disorders, which can cause avoidablepain in both the short and long term. Other issues created by not addressing poorly designed workstations include fatigue, repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain leading to headaches and damage to eyesight.

You can find a full layout of your legal requirements in the HSE"s brief guide to Display Screen Equipment below. Prior to starting work a full risk assessment must be undertaken to outline the potential risks to your employee"s health and safety and a plan must be enacted to reduce or remove the discovered risks. In the call centre I worked in, the equipment adjusted to however you needed it and this is vital, not only under the law but comfortable staff are more productive. Breaks from using DSE are vital, short frequent breaks are better and these breaks don"t necessarily mean to stop working entirely, only that they should be away from DSE. Employers mustoffer free eye tests to all DSE users, as well as meeting the cost of basic glasses, this does not, however include designer frames. A lot of employees will choose to pay the additional cost for designer frames.

Account must be taken of daily work routines so that adequate breaks can be incorporated into the daily routine. This doesn"t always mean a break away from work, but away from DSE. This is a good time to make use of daily briefings etc.

As with most areas of work, certain training practices must be used to ensure employees are kept safe and are aware of the potential risks when it comes working with display screen equipment. You must also provide your staff with the knowledge and means to clean the mouse, keyboard and computer monitors. Another reason to ensure the correct method of cleaning is undertaken is to protect your equipment from any unnecessary damage. You should also provide your employees with an internal point of contact for any concerns or queries with regards to DSE.

Employees take regular breaks from looking at their screen - this doesn"t necessarily mean breaks from work, only from using display screen equipment.

Employers must ensure that employees are aware of their entitlement to yearly eye tests, with the cost being met by their employer in full. A competent person must carry out any eye test, this means a qualified optician.

Employers must provide their display screen equipment users with adequate health and safety training for any workstation they work at, including adjusting chairs and computer screens.

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Display screen equipment (DSE) is common in most working environments. So, it’s essential you follow UK health & safety laws to protect your employees. This guide explains how you do that.

These health problems usually come about due to the lack of efficiency in a workstation. If DSE isn"t a match for an employee, it can create health problems or make existing issues worse.

These days, companies develop computer equipment and workstations with these issues in mind. There are national and international standards to consider.

Health & safety legislation requires a DSE workstation assessment to identify risks to individual user safety and to ensure a healthy working environment.

Make sure there’s variation in the nature of their work so that for approximately 10 minutes in every hour they won’t need to use display screen equipment.

You can get support whenever you need it—at Peninsula Business Services, we provide you with details on how to carry out a DSE assessment, along with advice for providing the right equipment for your employees. Get in touch with us on 0800 028 2420 for assitance.

In some circumstances, yes. Sometimes you’ll need to fund a pair of specially prescribed glasses. Many high street opticians do DSE test offers for employers that keep the costs down.

“Do not treat expenses incurred by the employer in providing a health-screening assessment or a medical check-up for employees, as conferring a chargeable benefit on those employees. If an employer incurs expenses in providing check-ups for members of an employee’s family or household this represents a benefit chargeable on the employee unless the family or household member is also an employee of the employer who provides the check-up.”

Employee monitoring in the United States is completely legal. Most federal and state laws allow employers to monitor just about anything that comes in and out of company-owned devices and across their network, particularly where there is a legitimate business intent. Employers are permitted to monitor employee attendance, computers, active/idle time, internet activities, screen content, emails, keystrokes, and more. That said, laws are governing the extent to which monitoring software is used in the workplace.

Yes. Employee monitoring is totally legal in the U.S. The United States monitoring laws give employers a considerable amount of rights to monitor their employees’ activities on workplace devices. It must, however, be backed up with valid business reasons. Some state laws establish that consent is a requirement. As far as federal legislation is concerned, employers have no legal requirements to disclose that they are being monitored to their workers.

Yes. The laws of the United States permit the employer to monitor systems they have ownership of. According to ECPA, if an employer provides a computer, it is company property, and generally, an employer is allowed to monitor all activities employees carry out on it. This includes but is not limited to stored documents/files, downloads, internet usage, and active/idle time. Additionally, company devices used outside the workplace can be monitored as well.

Yes. In most cases, an employer has the right to ensure employees are using the internet for work-related purposes during paid hours. The U.S. laws allow an employer to monitor internet activities such as the websites visited, the amount of time spent online during working hours, and even restrict visits to certain sites. And the issue of whether it is legal to monitor social media activities?

Yes, it is legal in the U.S. Every state has its local regulations on monitoring social media. For example, it is legal for employers to carry out pre-employment background checks in certain states before hiring prospective employees. It is also permissible for employers to establish social media policies that restrict employees from indulging during working hours. Additionally, several states have enacted laws that protect employees from employers requiring them to provide a user name or password for a social media account.

Yes. In the U.S., it is legal for employers to monitor screen contents and the keystrokes typed per hour on a work computer. A good rule of thumb is to note that anything an employee does on their work computer can be accessed by their employer, especially if there is a clear and documented workplace policy.

Yes. Most employers in the U.S. have policies that give them the right to monitor emails. Under United States law, any email an employee sends or receives on a company system (business-related or private emails) is the employer’s property and can be accessed or viewed by the company at any time. In some states, consent is important. For example, California and Illinois laws require employers to consent from third parties before accessing employees’ emails. In Connecticut and Delaware, employers are to inform workers of monitoring emails. Additionally, Colorado and Tennessee have laws that require companies to set email monitoring policies.

Yes. There are exemptions if an employee is using the company phone. In addition to the fourth amendment, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 states that it is against the law to intentionally intercept any wire, oral, or electronic communication. However, there are standard exceptions:

Yes. U.S. federal laws permit the use of video monitoring systems in the workplace as long as there is a legitimate business purpose for doing so. However, there are areas where the use of video monitoring systems is prohibited. States such as California, New York, and West Virginia have laws restricting the use of video monitoring systems in restrooms, locker rooms, and certain areas where it is rational to expect privacy. Also, an employer is obliged to notify employees and obtain consent. According to federal wiretap laws in two-party states, video recordings must not include audio.

Yes. In the U.S., this is legal in a few instances. As stated above, this depends on whether a private email or message was sent or received on the employer’s equipment/network. If it was sent on a personal device, employers may, in this case, monitor it if there is a policy in place (refer to the section “Is it legal to monitor personal device”). On the other hand, the law also prevents the employer from monitoring private messages and private email accounts that are password protected without the employee’s consent.

Yes. While it appears that federal law may prohibit employers from monitoring personal devices (laptops, tablets, phones). As long as there are set policies such as (BYOD) Bring your own device policies in favor of monitoring the use of employee personal devices for work-related reasons, the law permits the monitoring.

Yes. Under specific conditions, an employer can collect data on a computer belonging to an employee with a court order or a well-defined workplace policy that permits monitoring an employee’s computer within the company premises. As a general rule, employees are protected from unauthorized searches of personal possessions by the U.S. Constitution. The Fourth Amendment, in particular, prohibits unreasonable search and seizure of personal items, which limits the employer’s right to monitor employees’ personal computers. Please note that the fourth amendment only covers the government sector. It does not protect against unreasonable searches and seizures in the private sector.

No. Under federal legislation, employers have no legal requirements to disclose to their workers that they are being monitored. It is only required in four U.S. states. Connecticut Gen. Stat.§ 31-48d and Delaware Del. 6 Code § 19-7-705 require employers to notify their staff about the use of monitoring software beforehand. So do the comparatively new Texas and New York Data Protection Acts. In other states, it is completely legal for employers to monitor their employees without consent. Also, most privacy laws give employers discretion regarding how far they can go with monitoring software.

At the federal level employers right to monitor their employees is protected by Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Since the year 1986 this act provides fundamental legal background for employee tracking and control practices. Its Title II, the Stored Communications Act (SCA), confirms the employer’s right to review files and data created by employees during their working hours. It must be backed up with valid business reasons.

Our monitoring experts have developed ready-to-use policies, announcement samples, and monitoring handbooks for direct use or a sample to create future monitoring policies. Request a copy now. It’s free!

Yes. The United States data protection laws of 1998 place employers under obligations to protect “sensitive personal information.” Also, there are federal and state laws that protect worker’ privacy in the workplace. Two of these regulations include the Video Privacy Protection Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which grant employees the right to ask for the details of private information that has been gathered. Employees, however, should understand that their privacy rights are limited in the workplace. Consequently, workplace policies will rule out certain privacy expectations, especially when it comes to company equipment.

Yes. Video surveillance: In New York, employers are allowed to install video surveillance in the workplace (private employers are even allowed to do this without notifying employees). However, restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms must be avoided, and videos must not include audio.

Phone monitoring or recording: New York wiretapping laws prohibit eavesdropping on any conversation without the consent of at least one party. (one-party consent laws)

Passwords/ Usernames: New York State law prohibits employers from requiring employees to disclose usernames or passwords to their social media accounts. The New York State Privacy Protection and Internet Safety Act determines when and how online personal and private information can be destroyed and establishes responsibilities and enforcement.

Workstations/ company devices: Employers are allowed to monitor workstations and company-owned devices as long as there are legitimate reasons behind the monitoring.

Video monitoring systems: In California, employers are allowed to install video monitoring systems at work but must avoid areas such as restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms. However, employers are required to notify their employees of the monitoring.

Email/ phone monitoring or recording: California Two-party consent laws require employers to notify and get both parties’ consent before monitoring or recording conversations.

Passwords/ medical & web banking details: California laws prevent employers from requesting personal information such as social media usernames, passwords, SSN, web banking information, and details on a medical condition.

Workstations/ company devices: Employers are allowed to monitor workstations and company-owned devices as long as there are legitimate reasons behind it.

Handbook: All employers must create a comprehensive handbook that will include both mandatory and recommended policies. Handbooks must explain in detail what employees are permitted or not allowed to do in the workplace. Employers must update handbooks if employment laws or policies change.

Yes. In Texas, private employers have the right to inspect anything within their premises. With clear workplace privacy policies, they are free to track employees’ performance during their work hours on the company equipment. But under the Texas Privacy Protection Act (HB 4390) that came into effect on the 1st of September, 2019, they have to inform the employees when and how they are monitoring their activities.

Phone calls: Employers are free to listen to the employees’ work-related phone calls with the company work and cell phones, getting the employee’s consent beforehand. As Texas is a “one-party” consent state, the other person might be unaware of the recording. Eavesdropping on private conversations is prohibited.

Video monitoring: in Texas, employers may install cameras in all premises, but for the spaces where employees have high expectation of privacy, like restrooms, break rooms and locker rooms.

Emails and text messages: Employers can read work emails of employees that is the data stored on the company devices. Private messages protected by passwords are secured from unauthorized access and disclosure.

Internet/social media usage: Employers are free to track employee’s internet usage during work hours. According to the NRLA, employers may not screen employees’ social media that is protected under law. It’s illegal to fire or fine them for discussing their working conditions online. But the state bill HB 318, relating to the employment discrimination that was introduced in 2013 is not approved by the Senate yet.

Workstations/company computers: in Texas, employers are allowed to check any information on the company equipment. However, you should be careful with sensitive personal information of employees, protecting it from leak or disclosure.

Yes, in the U.S., policies and code of conduct are mandatory components for every business. It is recommended that all workplace policies regarding monitoring should:

Yes. Employers have the right to monitor their equipment (computers) usage. Computers can be monitored during business hours as well during before and after hours and breaks. For example, employers might want to make sure employees do not practice inappropriate internet use on the company owned computers. The main idea here is that employers can legally monitor computers if they have business reasons for that. To monitor employees during the breaks an consent might be required.

The bill is a comprehensive foundational federal data privacy law, covering personal data collection, storing, sharing, as well as computer monitoring. The ADPPA aims to minimize data collection, stating that employee data collected by an employer may be processed or transferred only for the valid administrative purposes.

Yes. Lawyers generally advise employers to adopt an ethical approach to monitoring. When considering monitoring and collecting employee data, employers should recognize that the information collected serves a legitimate business purpose. In places where the law requires consent, employers must be explicit on the following to the employees; what is monitored, why, and how the employee monitoring software will work. Also, the company should take adequate security measures to protect information that has been collected.

The United States’ legal system tries to balance out the necessity of workplace privacy and monitoring. That said, transparency and flexibility are always good practices. Establishing business goals from the outset is fundamental. Setting clear and well-defined policies in place and bringing employees up to speed will profoundly impact company health and steer the company in the right direction.

The information provided in this article is for general understanding only and not to be used as legal advice. To receive professional legal advice, please consult your lawyer.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (amended in 2002) implement the Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Directive (90/270/EEC) on minimum health and safety requirements for work with DSE. The regulations cover the computer hardware, software, the workstation, peripheral equipment and, most importantly, the individual using the DSE.

Workers who use DSE as a significant part of their role may experience problems, such as eye strain and visual fatigue, upper limb disorders (sometimes known as repetitive strain injury (RSI)) and mental stress. While the risks to individual users are often low, they are exacerbated by the overuse of DSE or by sitting with an inappropriate posture at poorly designed workstations.

Guidance on work with display screens is published by the Health and Safety Executive. L26 Work with Display Screen Equipment: Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002, can be downloaded from the HSE website.

Regulation 1 of the DSE Regulations defines what is meant by DSE, a user, use and a workstation. The definitions determine whether or not the regulations apply in a particular situation.DSE: any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved (including microfiche readers but not television).

The DSE Regulations apply only to employees who “habitually” use DSE for undertaking a significant part of their normal work. The regulations apply to employed staff and to the self-employed. In many organisations, it is most likely to apply to staff such as administrative staff, receptionists or secretaries, data inputters, journalists or writers, editors, telesales or call-centre operators, CCTV operators, graphic designers, librarians, etc.

The regulations do not apply to workers who use DSE infrequently or for short periods of time. However, the controls described in the regulations will still be useful for such workers, especially those that relate to the safe ergonomic use of computers and laptops.

Those who work with DSE but do not input or extract information are not regarded as users. For example, those who distribute or service DSE are not seen as users, but those using software to carry out a task may be.

Under regulation 2 of the DSE Regulations, employers are required to perform “a suitable and sufficient analysis” of workstations to assess the health and safety risks to which users are exposed.

Where a workstation is in temporary or short-term use, a risk assessment must still be conducted. However, it need not be recorded unless the risk is significant.

The assessment should record any hazards found, the likely risk, any changes made during the assessment and changes required. Some information may be gathered generically, such as the type of furniture or the nature of the work, but only where these are uniform.

Where people share a workstation, each should be assessed at that workstation. Each user needs to be assessed since the stature and physical characteristics of the person can affect the suitability of the layout. The nature of the work being conducted may also vary.

Risk assessments should also be conducted for employees who are DSE users and work from home, whether or not the workstation is supplied in whole or in part by the employer. For example, the employer may have provided the DSE but not the furniture.

The guidance to the DSE Regulations suggests that an assessment can be completed in some circumstances by providing a checklist for the employee to complete and return. It should cover any need for special training or information to compensate for their lack of direct contact with the employer.

Risk assessments should be reviewed wherever there is a significant change in any of the elements of the workstation or where there is a reason to believe the original assessment is invalid. They should also be reviewed where DSE users experience discomfort.

The regulations require risks to be reduced “so far as is reasonably practicable”, balancing the risks associated with the costs involved. For example, a document holder may be required to raise the height of paperwork and improve the work posture. The document holder can be purchased at minimal cost and will benefit the user greatly by avoiding stressful neck and head postures.

Risk reduction measures should be identified for all hazards defined in the risk assessment. The measures should be implemented as quickly as possible. Many measures are simple (eg changes to posture, ensuring frequent focal distance changes and avoiding fatigue and stress) and the cost is minimal. Where measures involve a change of behaviour on the part of the user, management or colleagues can be involved to help promote this change.

Under regulation 4 of the DSE Regulations, the employer must plan users’ activities so that work is broken up by activity changes. These can be informal breaks away from the screen for a short period each hour, perhaps while engaged in some other work activity.

General guidance on breaks is as follows.The timing of the break is more important than the length. Taking a break before the onset of fatigue will prevent discomfort and reductions in productivity.

Wherever possible, users should choose how they carry out tasks to enable them to distribute their work, incorporating changes of activity and rest breaks.

The regulations also require the employer to encourage rest breaks and changes of activity. It is easy for users to get absorbed in their work and continue to work on past the point at which they would normally or should stop. Other than in emergency situations, or those where continuity is paramount, users should not extend their working time before a break or change of activity.

Regulation 5 states that users, whether they are already users or about to become so, should be provided with appropriate eye and eyesight tests at their request. The employer must meet the costs of tests and of any special corrective appliances prescribed to adjust visual quality at the DSE viewing distance, where normal appliances (glasses or lenses) cannot be used. Further sight tests must be provided for the user at regular intervals or if the user experiences visual difficulties considered to be caused by DSE work.

Many employers have an eye test policy that limits users to a single eyesight test within fixed intervals. This may involve a voucher system at a specified optician. Alternatively, users may be allocated a fixed sum for the cost of the eye test. For example, the policy may state that employees can claim £30 towards the cost of an eye test once a year, subject to the provision of a VAT receipt. In practice, this sort of system seems to work well for the majority of users. However, care should be taken to ensure provision for any users who require an eye test more frequently.

Where special corrective appliances are required, the employer need only to pay for the basic model or set limits for their provision, eg £50 towards the cost of glasses specifically for DSE work. Alternatively, they may choose to contribute the price of a basic appliance to the user, who may use this towards the cost of a luxury appliance, eg designer frames or contact lenses.

In practice, training should ensure users are familiar with the set up and adjustments of their workstation. It should also ensure they are aware of good ergonomics practice, including the need to take regular breaks from DSE use.

In some cases, a suitably qualified person can provide this information while conducting a risk assessment for the user. If this is not possible, training videos can be used to ensure employees are aware of the risks and what they can do to reduce them. Online training or assessment packages are also available.

Under regulation 7, the employer should inform users about the health and safety aspects of their workstations. Users are also to be given information about activity changes, eye and eyesight tests and training. This is to be given to them on commencement of DSE work and whenever a workstation is modified.

There are many different types of employee covered by the DSE Regulations, such as contract workers, temporary staff, etc. The regulations state that they should all be provided with information, although the amount provided depends on the status of the employee. Table 1 lists the level of information employers should provide to users and operators.

Table 1: Information to be Provided to Different Types of UserType of user/operatorRisks from display screen equipment and workstationsRisk assessments and measures to reduce the risks (regulations 2 and 3)Breaks and activity changes (regulation 4)Eye and eyesight tests (regulation 5)Initial training (regulation 6(1))Training when workstation modified (regulation 6(2))

Whether back in the office or still at home, using screens in poorly designed workstation or working environments poses health risks that can be avoided. Jon Herbert provides a reminder of employers’ duties.

It may have been a while since many people have gone to work in the office but, wherever their employees are based, employers still have a duty of care to protect workers from the risks to health from work equipment, which includes display screen equipment.

Display screen equipment (DSE) refers to anything with an alphanumeric or graphic display screen. This includes PCs, laptops, tablets, touch screens and smartphones but not televisions.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 place specific duties on employers with regards to the use of display screen equipment.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 apply to workers who use DSE on a daily basis for an hour or more at a time. However, they do not apply to staff who use DSE infrequently, or for short periods only.

Where staff use DSE continuously for 60 minutes or more in daily work, workstation assessments are required and should cover the set-up of the whole workstation (including equipment, furniture and work conditions such as lighting), the type of work involved and any special requirements requested, such as for users with disabilities.

It is recommended that organisations ask employees to carry out their own workstation assessments annually and flag up any issues with their manager. Assessments are also needed when moving to a new workstation, when new users start work, when changes are made to workstations or their use, or when users complain of pain or discomfort.

Software packages can help train users and assist in assessments. But remember that these packages are not an assessment in themselves. Trained assessors can help to clear up doubts, give feedback, and ensure identified problems are corrected.

There is no evidence that DSE work either in the office or at home causes permanent eye damage. But prolonged spells can lead to discomfort (particularly for contact lens wearers when humidity levels are low), temporary short-sightedness, headaches, fatigue, eye-strain, plus pains in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, wrists hands.

This should include a full eye and eyesight test by an optometrist or doctor, with a vision test and an eye examination. Employers can choose how they provide tests. For example, letting staff arrange tests and reimbursing costs later or sending all DSE users to one optician.

If glasses are needed for DSE use, employers should pay for them. DSE work is visually demanding and can reveal eyesight problems not noticed before, including changes with age. Employers only pay for glasses for DSE work if tests show that employees need special prescription glasses for the distance screens are viewed at. If ordinary prescriptions are suitable, employers don’t pay.

Employees can help their eyes by checking that screens are properly positioned and adjusted, ensuring good lighting conditions and taking regular breaks from screen work.

There is no legal guidance about the length and frequency of breaks. Short breaks are better, ie 5 to 10 minutes each hour, rather than 20 minutes every 2 hours. Ideally, users should be able choose their own breaks, ie so they can get up for a short walk or a coffee when they’ve finished a certain piece of work. Break-monitoring software can be used remind users to take regular breaks.

Working practices to encourage to mitigate the risks from DSE include:adjusting chairs and other furniture for correct posture when working with screens

There is no increased DSE work from temporary homeworking, although employers should discuss arrangements with employees and take appropriate safety steps to ensure they have the correct equipment and know how to set up their work space correctly to protect themselves from musculoskeletal disorders. They must also provide advice on completing basic home assessments.

Where possible, employers should try to provide equipment (eg keyboard, mouse, and riser) that workers can use at home. They can also help in providing larger items (eg ergonomic chairs, height-adjustable desks, and support cushions) to create a comfortable working environment.

Where employers want to make homeworking arrangements permanent, they must explain how they will carry out assessments and provide appropriate equipment and advice on control measures.

Lighting conditions must take into account the type of work and needs to allow good contrast between the screen and background environment, ensuring there is no direct glare or distracting reflections.

Low humidity caused by heat from computers and other equipment can lead to eye soreness and discomfort for some contact lens wearers. Maintaining an adequate humidity level is important.

There are various health and safety obligations for companies that cover the use of computers but probably the most relevant is "The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (amended in 2002)". These require all companies with more than 5 employees to provide display screen equipment (DSE) "users" with assessments to identify risk that they may be exposed to during their work.

"Users" are generally defined as staff who normally use DSE for continuous spells of one hour or more on a daily basis or who have to transfer information quickly. Many companies now carry out an assessment for any office worker using DSE.

The regulations stress that it is important for employers to take actions to reduce any risk identified during assessments. They also list basic requirements for workstations and emphasise the importance of planning breaks and changes of activity into the daily work routine of users.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees, including homeworkers.

Most of the regulations made under the HSWA apply to homeworkers as well as to employees working at an employer"s workplace. These include the Display Screen Equipment Regulations and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers are required to do a risk assessment of the work activities carried out by homeworkers.

The health problems associated with display screen equipment (DSE) work are upper limb disorders (including pains in the neck, arms, elbows, wrists, and fingers); temporary eyestrain (but not eye damage) and headaches; and fatigue and stress.

Only a small proportion of people who use DSE actually suffer ill health as a result. Usually these disorders do not last, but in a few cases they may become persistent and even disabling. There may be a sudden onset of symptoms in response to short-term activities, or development may be gradual and caused by longer-term poor provision or practice. Timely reporting, investigation and action to remove the cause of problems is vital to prevent worsening of symptoms and to promote recovery. The causes may not always be obvious and can be a combination of factors, but enough is known about the importance of some measures - for example, the need to sit properly and to have frequent breaks from the screen - to allow the risks to be tackled effectively.

The Regulations relating to work with DSE are the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. The provisions of the DSE Regulations apply only to DSE "users", i.e. workers who habitually use DSE as a significant part of their work. Where the DSE Regulations do not apply, the other legislation will require that the assessment of risks and measures taken to control them should take account of ergonomic factors applicable to display screen work. In practice this means that the minimum standards for workstations apply.

This DSE Code of Practice applies to all University employees, permanent or temporary, who are classed as DSE users while they are undertaking DSE work for the University either on or off campus. It also applies to DSE "operators" who are not University employees but who are working for the University e.g. self-employed or agency employees.

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) means any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved. DSE includes conventional (cathode ray tube) display screens, and liquid crystal or plasma displays used in flat-panel screens, touchscreens and emerging screen technologies. Display screens mainly used to display line drawings, graphs, charts or computer-generated graphics are included, as are screens used in work with television or film pictures. It also includes microfiche readers.

The following are excluded: DSE mainly intended for public operation (e.g. for students" use), portable systems (e.g. laptops) not in prolonged use; scientific and other equipment having a small data display required for direct use of the equipment; and window typewriters.

Portable equipment that is habitually in use by a DSE user for a significant part of his or her normal work (see the definition of "user" below) should be regarded as covered by this Code. The University Health & Safety Unit can advise on the application of the Regulations and this Code of Practice to portable equipment.

Workstation means display screen equipment, accessories such as disk drives, telephone, modem, printer, document holder, work chair, work desk, work surface and the immediate work environment (lighting, temperature and humidity, noise, and space) around the display screen equipment).

Workstation minimum requirements are the minimum requirements set out in the DSE Regulations for components present in DSE workstations. They cover the equipment, the working environment, and the interface (for example software) between the computer and the user/operator.

User means a University employee who habitually uses DSE as a significant part of their normal work. Users:normally use DSE for continuous or near-continuous spells of an hour or more at a time;

The University generally regards all those staff who routinely use DSE to any extent as DSE users for the purposes of this Code. The status of post-graduate and research students may not be directly equivalent to that of an employee, but Faculties and Offices generally regard their post-graduate and research students as users for the purposes of this Code. Though undergraduate students are not DSE users under the University"s duty of care, the basic workstation minimum requirements are taken into account in the provision of Campus and Faculty computing facilities.

Operators carry out similar work to users but are not University employees although they are working for the University e.g. self-employed or agency employees.

Assessment means an analysis of the workstation for the purpose of identifying the hazards (things with the potential to cause harm) and evaluating the health and safety risks (the likelihood and severity of harm) to which those using it are exposed.

Eye and eyesight test means a "sight test" as defined by the Opticians Act legislation. This should be carried out by a registered ophthalmic optician or optometrist or a registered medical practitioner with suitable qualifications (see The College of Optometrists "Guidance for Professional Conduct").

DSE user information is provided through the University Health & Safety Unit and made available on the University Health and Safety web pages. It is included in new staff inductions and the workstation assessment arrangements, and should also be provided as periodic reminders. The information provides DSE users with guidance on health effects of DSE work and recommended best practice for work and workstations; the University"s arrangements for DSE workstation assessments including on online self-assessment system ("WorkRite"); and the arrangements for eye and eyesight tests and provision of spectacles if prescribed specifically for DSE use.

Display Screen Equipment Assessors are appointed by their Faculty Operating Officer/Director of Directorate to assist them in health and safety matters, especially in the dissemination of information on good practice for DSE work, monitoring of staff group self-assessments, carrying out further DSE assessments for staff where necessary, and keeping of appropriate records. DSE Assessors should be introduced to new and transferred staff during local inductions in order to provide information on good practice and the arrangements for eye and eyesight tests and spectacles if required for DSE work. They will advise on any immediate issues and initiate the online workstation self-assessment process.

DSE Assessors attend one day training provided through the University Health & Safety Unit. This includes an introduction to the health effects of DSE work; legal and University H&S Policy requirements; recommended best practice for work and workstations; the University"s arrangements for self-assessments; and the University"s arrangements for eye and eyesight tests and provision of spectacles specifically for DSE work. The training includes practical guidance on the online self-assessments and record management system. DSE Assessors have access to advice and assistance from the University Health & Safety Unit.

The DSE workstation assessment process is included in new staff inductions, and in similar inductions for staff transferred to the Faculty/Directorate or existing staff who become users. The process is generally initiated and managed day-to-day by the assigned DSE Assessor. An online self-assessment is used to record the DSE user"s own comments on their workstation and any health or medical problems, and any additional comments, remedial actions or recommendations arising from any assessment. Progress on actions and reviews of the assessment are recorded on the online format. The online record is accessible to the local DSE Assessor and the University Health & Safety Unit and is generally held electronically but may be kept as hard copy.

The DSE user carries out an online self-assessment of their workstation by following the login information in an initial request for self-assessment; considering the University"s DSE user information provided on the portal and in online training and testl; and then answering the questions in the DSE workstation assessment online questionnaire. The user is expected to make simple adjustments themselves where possible, and to report any outstanding problems under the relevant headings of the online questionnaire.

Any issues identified during the online self-assessment will be automatically notified to the local DSE Assessor.. Where the DSE user fails to complete the online self-assessment, the online DSE assessment system will send reminders and, if there is still no response, the local DSE Assessor will be notified by the system. Problems can be reported and an assessment requested if and when circumstances change.

Where problems have been reported, the DSE user"s Faculty/Directorate DSE Assessor, Line Manager, FOO/Director, University Health & Safety Unit or University Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service (OHWS) as appropriate, will work with the DSE user to identify, initiate and review relevant improvements.

Where problems have been reported, a further workstation assessment will be carried out to identify and initiate improvements. If the DSE user has reported problems only with their workstation, the assessment will normally be carried out by the DSE Assessor, with advice from the University Health & Safety Unit if necessary. When the DSE user has reported pain or discomfort associated with their DSE workstation or work, the University Health & Safety Unit may be asked to carry out a formal workstation assessment taking account of reported pain and discomfort or other adverse health effects and any constraints these may place on the DSE work.

The assessment by the DSE Assessor or by the Health & Safety Unit will consider the reported problems and any other DSE-related issues identified in discussions. This will include relevant aspects of the user"s work and how they use the workstation for DSE and other tasks. An objective judgement will be made on how well the workstation meets the "workstation minimum requirements", the physical needs of the user to achieve recommended postures (for example being very tall, left-handed or with disabilities), and also their work needs (for example space for other work equipment and meetings). The assessment will include advice and simple changes for immediate improvements where possible.

Advice, immediate improvements, planned remedial actions, and recommendations will be recorded on or with the assessment form, with clear reasons if necessary, and reported to the Line Manager or FOO/Director. Agreed