Display screen equipment (DSE) assessment

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• This is for regular screen "users". The DSE Regulations apply to people who use a computer or screen for a significant part of most days — not someone who glances at a till now and then. If you (or a member of staff) do the books, rotas or admin at a screen for long stretches, that's a user, and you should run this.
• Do it with the person, not at them. They're the one who knows their neck aches by three o'clock. Sit down together, work through the checks, and fix what comes up — a monitor riser, a proper chair, a separate keyboard for the laptop. Most fixes are cheap.
• Eye tests are part of the deal. A DSE user can ask you to arrange and pay for an eye test, and if they need glasses specifically for screen distance (not their everyday specs), you pay for a basic pair. Make sure they know they can ask.
• Short, frequent breaks beat one long one. It's changing posture and looking away from the screen that helps — a few minutes doing something else every hour does more good than a single long break at lunch.
• Laptops and home working count too. A laptop is fine for short spells, but used all day it forces a hunch — so a regular user needs a separate keyboard and mouse and something to raise the screen. The same applies to anyone working from home regularly.
• It's about comfort, not drama — but it's still a duty. Nobody's going to lose a limb at a desk, but poor set-ups cause real neck, back, wrist and eye problems over time. For DSE users, sorting it is a legal requirement, not a nicety.
• Review it when things change. New desk, new screen, a move, or the person mentions an ache — take another look.
• Across the UK. The DSE rules apply in England, Wales and Scotland, with an equivalent in Northern Ireland — same approach throughout.