How Often Should Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessments Be Reviewed?

In Great Britain, regulation 2 of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 governs DSE assessment reviews (Great Britain, 1992).

For this article, a workstation means the DSE, its software and accessories, the desk and chair, and the immediate work environment. The Regulations define a user as an employee who regularly uses DSE as a significant part of normal work. They define an operator as a self-employed person who does the same. Regulation 2 requires an employer to assess workstations that users may use for the employer’s work, regardless of who provided the workstation. It also covers workstations the employer provides for operators to use for that work (Great Britain, 1992).

Any changes required by the review must be made. Regulation 2(3) also requires the employer to reduce identified risks to the lowest extent reasonably practicable (Great Britain, 1992). Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance explains that this means balancing the level of risk against the money, time or trouble needed to control it (HSE, n.d.d).

HSE’s brief guide, INDG36, explains the Regulations in plain terms. Its detailed guidance, L26, gives fuller examples and explanations. Both are guidance; the Regulations create the legal duties (HSE, 2013a; HSE, 2003).

Regulation 6 separately requires adequate health and safety training for employees who are, or are to become, DSE users. HSE guidance, rather than Regulation 6, describes the abilities needed by people who conduct workstation assessments (Great Britain, 1992; HSE, 2003).

A DSE assessment may need review when changes or new information suggest it may no longer be valid. Triggers can include changes to software, equipment, furniture, location, lighting, screen time or task demands. A report of pain, discomfort or another possible work-related health problem can also trigger a review. HSE’s workstation guidance says the legal duty to assess workstations covers a new workstation and one used by a new user. L26 also advises reviewing an existing assessment if the people using DSE change or if the workstation changes significantly (HSE, n.d.a; HSE, 2003).

A workstation checklist can help collect information, but it is only an aid to assessment (HSE, 2013b). HSE describes four actions for a person trained to assess workstations (HSE, n.d.a):

1. Review the worker’s answers.
2. Resolve uncertain points.
3. Give the worker feedback.
4. Check that identified problems are corrected.

Some cases may need a more detailed assessment. Examples include complex workstations, tasks where an error could endanger others, or individual health needs beyond the assessor’s knowledge. Advice may then be needed from an ergonomist, who specialises in fitting work to people, or an occupational health professional, who advises on health in relation to work (HSE, 2003).

Yes, DSE assessment and review duties can apply to permanent home workers and people who split their time between home and another workplace. Where the duties apply across both settings, the assessment should address both (HSE, n.d.b).

HSE uses daily DSE work for continuous periods of an hour or more as a practical indicator. L26 explains that shorter or less continuous use may still fall within the legal definition. Factors such as the worker’s dependence on the equipment and their ability to choose whether to use it should also be considered. The 1992 Regulations generally do not apply to occasional or short periods of DSE use at home, but employers’ wider health and safety duties still apply (HSE, n.d.b; HSE, 2003).

A worker may answer the workstation questions after suitable training. A home visit is usually unnecessary unless the employer identifies a reason for one. Worker participation does not transfer responsibility for the assessment to the worker (HSE, n.d.b).

Individual needs may require different equipment or other changes to the work arrangement. HSE’s home-working guidance explains how the assessment can inform those decisions (HSE, n.d.b; HSE, n.d.c).

Employers can use routine DSE assessment reminders to prompt discussion with workers, but reminders do not set or delay the legal review triggers in regulation 2(2) (Great Britain, 1992).

If an organisation uses reminders as an additional management tool, it can set their timing around its working arrangements and the likelihood of relevant changes.

A practical DSE assessment review record can identify the worker and workstation, the date and reason for review, and the main findings. It can also record required actions, responsibility, target dates and completed follow-up (HSE, 2003; HSE, n.d.d).

The 1992 Regulations do not prescribe a particular record format. Under regulation 3(6) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, an employer with five or more employees must record the significant findings of the assessment and any group of employees identified as being especially at risk (Great Britain, 1999). HSE guidance describes a practical record as the hazards, who might be harmed and how, and the measures used to control the risks (HSE, n.d.d). Under that general rule, an employer with fewer than five employees is not required to keep a written record. Keeping one can still make later review and follow-up easier.

A consistent DSE review process should connect the evidence considered with the decision made and any action that follows. Where problems are identified, the review should lead to proportionate action with clear responsibility for follow-up. A concise record of findings, decisions and completed actions can help employers track what was done.