Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

15.2.4 Display screen equipment (DSE)
Display screen equipment, which includes visual dis-
play units, is a good example of a common work activity 
which relies on an understanding of ergonomics and the 
ill-health conditions which can be associated with poor 
ergonomic design.
Legislation governing DSE is covered by the Health 
and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 
and a detailed summary of them is given in Chapter 17. 
The regulations apply to a user or operator of DSE and 
defi ne a user or operator. The defi nition is not as tight as 
many employers would like it to be, but usage in excess 
of approximately one hour continuously each day would 
Seating and posture for typical office tasks
Seat back
adjustability
Good lumbar
support
Seat height
adjustability
No execess pressure on underside
of thighs and backs of knees
Foot support if required
Forearms
approximately
horizontal
Minimal extension,
flexion or deviation
of wrist
Screen height and angle
should allow comfortable
head position
Space in front of the keyboard
to support hands or wrists
during pauses in keying
Space for postural change
– no obstacles under desk
Figure 15.5
Workstation 
design.

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Physical and psychological health hazards and control
257
defi ne a user. The defi nition is important since users are 
entitled to free eye tests and, if required, a pair of spec-
tacles. The basic requirements of the regulations are:
➤
a suitable and suffi cient risk assessment of the 
workstation, including the software in use, trip and 
electrical hazards from trailing cables and the sur-
rounding environment
➤
workstation compliance with the minimum specifi -
cations laid down in the schedules appended to the 
regulations
➤
a plan of the work programme to ensure that there 
are adequate breaks in the work pattern of workers
➤
the provision of free eye sight tests and, if required, 
spectacles to users of DSE
➤
a suitable programme of training and suffi cient infor-
mation given to all users.
There are three basic ill-health hazards associated with 
DSE. These are:
➤
musculoskeletal 
problems
➤
visual 
problems
➤
psychological 
problems.
A fourth hazard, of radiation, has been shown from sev-
eral studies to be very small and is now no longer nor-
mally considered in the risk assessment.
Similarly, in the past, there have been suggestions 
that DSE could cause epilepsy and there were concerns 
about adverse health effects on pregnant women and 
their unborn children. All these risks have been shown in 
various studies to be very low.