Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
Safeguarding Health While Using Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
Introduction
Employers have a legal obligation to safeguard their employees from health risks associated with using display screen equipment (DSE), including PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations pertain to individuals categorized as ‘DSE users,’ who engage with DSE for prolonged periods exceeding an hour daily. These regulations do not apply to individuals who use DSE infrequently or for brief durations.
Protecting Employee Health
Under the law, employers are required to:
- Conduct a DSE workstation assessment.
- Mitigate risks by ensuring employees take breaks from DSE work or engage in alternative activities.
- Provide eye tests upon request from employees.
- Offer training and information to employees.
- Improper DSE usage or poorly designed workstations and environments can lead to discomfort in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, wrists, and hands, as well as fatigue and eye strain. Identifying the underlying causes may not always be straightforward.
The legal obligations extend to various scenarios, including:
- Fixed workstation setups
- Mobile workers
- Home-based employees
- Hot-desking arrangements (where workers should conduct a basic risk assessment if they regularly change desks)
HSE’s leaflet Working with display screen equipment gives more information about how to comply with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations.
Wooltown Safety Services can carry out your DSE assessments both in your offices and on site for mobile tablets and phones.
Call us today for a quite
