Work Safer & Smarter for a Healthier Wellbeing – DSE Assessments

All businesses in the United Kingdom must comply with the Health and Safety – Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992 (amended 2002). This means that your employees must be properly trained and audited, with information from your assessment recorded on an up-to-date written risk assessment.

What is DSE?
The term DSE stands for ‘Display Screen Equipment’ and is equipment or a device that has an alphanumeric or graphic display screen including laptops, monitors and other similar devices.

The prolonged use of computer workstations and display screen equipment can lead to neck, shoulder, back or arm pain, along with stress, fatigue and temporary eyestrain. These types of disorders can be easily avoided if DSE assessments are completed, equipment is correctly set up and good practice is always thoroughly applied.

Reducing Risks
The DSE analysis process should as a minimum cover the following to minimise and reduce risks for all users:

• Suitable risk assessment to identify hazards and evaluate risks and their degree of extent
• Shared workstations should be assessed for all users
• Risk assessments should be carried out by experienced or trained Health & Safety personnel
• Risk assessments should identify postural, visual, fatigue and stress risks
• Review daily work routines (including important breaks away from the workstation)

Requirements for the workstation

• Screen: stable image, adjustable, readable, glare/reflection free
• Keyboard: usable, adjustable, detachable, legible
• Work surface: with space for flexible arrangement of equipment and documents, glare-free
• Chair: fully adjustable with optional arms/lumbar support
• Footrest: if the user needs one
• Adequate lighting
• Review of noise levels
• Window covering to minimise glare (if applicable)
• Ventilation

Our simple DSE assessment guide: 

• Hands, wrists and forearms should be straight and roughly parallel to the floor
• Head needs to be level, or tilted slightly forward, and balanced. Generally it should be in line with the torso
• Shoulders should be relaxed and upper arms hang normally at the side of the body
• Elbows stay in close to the body and are bent between 90 and 120 degrees
• Feet are fully supported

Here at MACOI, we can provide complementary DSE and seating assessments either at your workplace or in one of our fully stocked showrooms in Ipswich, Suffolk or Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire. Contact us for more details.