Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 8

Subject:          Display Screen Equipment

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements. 

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities. 

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (amended 2002) are in place to protect colleagues who habitually use DSE as a significant part of their normal work. 

In normal circumstances these regulations will require the manager to:

• Ensure the online assessment of users of DSE identifying their concerns has been completed;
• Ensure any user workstations in the workplace meet the minimum requirements of the regulations;
• Ensure that there are adequate ‘work breaks’ or changes in work activities to avoid long, uninterrupted periods of DSE use;
• Provide ‘Users’ with eye and eyesight tests when requested by the individual;
• Provide ‘Users’ with adequate information and/or training on the safe use of DSE.

These regulations apply to any colleague identified as being a DSE user. 

A colleague will be classified as a DSE user if most or all of the following criteria apply:

• The colleague depends on the use of DSE to do their job, as alternative means are not readily available for achieving the same results;
• The colleague has no discretion as to the use or non-use of Display Screen Equipment;
• The colleague needs significant training and/or particular skills in the use of DSE to do their job;
• The colleague normally uses DSE in this way more or less daily.

The Regulations apply to both office and home environments as it considers the work undertaken, not the location that the equipment is located.

DSE covers both conventional display screens such as computer screens monitors, tablets and laptops but also other activities where a display screen is used as part of the work. 

It is also important to recognise that the terms Visual Display Unit (VDU) and Personal Computer (PC) are also commonly used but within the context of these regulations, they mean the same as DSE.

A majority of the issues experienced by DSE users do not arise directly from the display screen itself but from the workstation or the way in which it is used.

DSE users may experience aches and pains in their hands, wrists, arms, neck, shoulders or back, collectively known as ‘upper limb disorders’.

A majority of problems related to the use of DSE can be prevented by good workstation layout / design and ensuring that ‘Users’ are aware of good working practices.

In certain circumstances existing medical conditions may present a further risk that should also be considered and where appropriate assessed.

The Health and Safety Executive state that:

• ‘Extensive research has found no evidence that VDUs can cause disease or permanent damage to eyes’.
• It is considered that long spells of DSE work can lead to tired eyes and discomfort.
• by giving the eyes more demanding tasks, it might make ‘Users’ more aware of eyesight problems they had not noticed before.’

The DSE Regulations require that a workstation risk assessment needs to be undertaken to identify any potential risks to the health and safety of DSE users.

NIC uses a self-assessment system that informs the users of potential issues related to the use of the DSE and enable colleagues to identify any issues they have.

This self-assessment system will forward the information completed by the user to their manager for implementing action and support of the DSE user.

The DSE training system is accessible from the Safety Advice (Corporate) link on the Intranet.

As part of the remote working, a number of colleagues will have a workstation at home or non-office location.

These locations are subject to the same requirements and need a completed DSE assessment and need to be set up to minimise the potential for injury or ill health

Managers need to ensure that colleagues can use their DSE equipment in a safe way at home and their workstation is appropriate and safe for use and is provided with equipment to enable it to be reasonably adjusted to suit colleague who will use it.

Where workstations are identified as a shared facility, each user will need to conduct a self assessment of their usage of that workstation to take account of their individual needs. 

Managers need to ensure that shared workstations are provided with equipment are able to be reasonably adjusted to suit colleagues who may use it. 

The self assessment system is designed to enable more than one assessment to be undertaken, where the equipment or environment is sufficiently different that one assessment does not adequately cover the risks present.

The online assessment system retains detail of information contained within the assessments completed by users and these self assessments must be regarded as an on-going process.

Assessments can be reviewed and updated at any time and additional assessments for different locations can be completed as required. 

Reviews of assessments must take place if:

• changes to the individual suggest that they are no longer valid (e.g. individual reports they are experiencing aches and pains).
• a significant change in the workstation involved has taken place (e.g. the location or position of the workstation has changed, new furniture, new equipment or software).

It is good practice for managers to undertake risk assessments prior to installation and ideally purchase of new equipment. 

In certain circumstances, additional equipment may be required to help the user achieve an optimum / appropriate work posture. 

The use of this equipment is often a matter of personal preference and consultation with the user is important. 

Examples of additional equipment are listed below and further advice or information can be obtained from the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

• Height adjustable equipment may be provided where standard equipment is not suitable
• Footrests can be provided for any user who cannot put their feet flat on the floor when seated at their workstation.
• Anti-glare Screens should only be used as a last resort when glare cannot be addressed
• Telephone headsets can be an option for people who are required to frequently use a telephone and DSE at the same time.
• Kneeling chairs may be beneficial for certain back conditions.
• Wrist rests can help to avoid resting hands on the desk during keyboard use.
• Mouse / Trackball can help with some certain wrist related conditions.

Colleagues are entitled to an eye sight test when they are identified as a DSE User, on request, to:

• a free eye and eye sight test prior to their initial commencement of work, or as soon as possible thereafter;
• a second eye test one year after the date of the first, and subsequent tests every two years thereafter, also paid for by the National Ice Centre;
• a further free eye test at any time between these periods if the individual considers there to have been deterioration in their eyesight since their last test.

Eye and eyesight tests

Eye and eyesight tests (defined as a ‘sight test’ in the Opticians Act) are carried out by registered medical practitioners with ophthalmic qualifications. 

DSE eye and eye sight tests are different to the tests for long and short sighted-ness, as it takes account of the nature of DSE use, including the distance at which the screen is viewed.

Vision screening tests for non DSE users

Vision screening tests are a means of identifying individuals with defective vision who may need a full sight test.     

A percentage of DSE users may need specific corrective glasses for DSE work. 

Those who need special corrective appliances may include users who already wear spectacles or contacts, or others who have uncorrected vision defects. 

The requirement to provide special corrective appliances, following the result of an eyesight test, applies to those who are classified as DSE user. 

In the event that an employee requires a more specialised prescription, over and above the NIC’s contribution, referral should be initiated to the Wellbeing and Health Improvement team to provide medical advice regarding reasonable adjustments.

The requirement to provide corrective appliances only applies where normal corrective appliances cannot be used or will not address the issue.

DSE user activities must be planned and controlled to avoid long uninterrupted periods of DSE work. 

The regulations do not require that a precise and detailed timetable for DSE work and ‘work breaks’ is drawn up but sensible precautions need to be implemented by managers .

• In the first instance long periods of DSE work should be avoided wherever reasonably practicable by enabling ‘Users’ to vary their tasks between DSE and non-DSE work;
• If long periods of DSE work are unavoidable ‘Users’ should be made aware of the need to take ‘work breaks’ away from DSE work to carry out other work activities.

The recommendation for work breaks is a 1 – 2 minutes break for every 15 – 20 minutes of keyboard / mouse work away from the computer.

Where the nature of work is such that DSE users are unable to vary their activities and/or there are no natural breaks away from DSE work, line managers must ensure that time is made available for DSE ‘Users’ to take work breaks and that work breaks are taken.

The benefit of taking work breaks is totally eradicated if breaks are added up and taken after long periods of work on DSE. 

Work breaks from DSE work should also be regarded as good practice for ‘non-Users’.

Laptops and other portable computers have to be compact enough to be easy to carry.

This results in design compromises, such as smaller keyboards and screens, which make portable computers less comfortable in prolonged use than normal Display Screen Equipment.

As a general rule, it is best to ensure that personnel do not use laptop computers for long periods when full sized Display Screen Equipment is available.

If someone who uses a laptop is identified as being a DSE user they should be provided with an appropriate ‘docking station’ at their main base.

A docking station must consist of a separate keyboard and mouse, with a separate monitor or riser blocks to raise the laptop screen to eye level.

Laptops and other portable equipment must not be used in vehicles whilst the user is driving.

The DSE Regulations require that all DSE users receive adequate health and safety information and training regarding the safe use of DSE workstations. 

The DSE Self Assessment system is designed to inform users of the potential issues and identify controls to reduce the risk. 

The information provided by the DSE Self Assessment system is split into 10 sections that not only inform the user on the relevant information and hazards of each section, but also why it may represent an issue.   

Information

A useful Health & Safety Executive (HSE) leaflet called ‘Working with VDUs’ is available on how to approach the safe use of Display Screen Equipment.

Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULDs) has replaced the term ‘Repetitive Strain Injury’ (RSI).   WRULD symptoms include any aches, pains, numbness or tingling sensations, etc. that may be caused by the use of Display Screen Equipment.

If an employee feels that they are experiencing WRULD symptoms, it must be reported on the NIC’s Incident  reporting system. 

The date or period when they first became aware of the symptoms must be used as the date that the incident occurred.

Where an employees reports that they may be experiencing any WRULD symptoms the risk assessment for their workstation must be reviewed to identify if any further actions are required.