Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

DSE Self-Assessment Form

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations apply to workers who use DSE daily, for an hour or more at a time.

All Trust staff that use DSE  for the majority of their working day, whether  working with display screen equipment (DSE), such as PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

To assist Managers in complying with their risk assessment requirements, which requires all staff using a PC  etc to have a DSE risk assessment undertaken when they start their employment, the Health and Safety Team have developed a DSE self-assessment.

This simple self-assessment should be completed by all staff using PC’s. It should be filled in online by opening the link below, and when completed, should be saved to your personal DSE risk assessment file with a copy sent to your line manager. The form is easy to use with one-click check boxes for the main questions and only the individual personal details need typing in.

It is the Line Manager’s responsibility to ensure that all risks within their teams are assessed, documented and reviewed on a regular basis and this tool will help Managers to achieve this for the DSE assessments.

FAQ's

Q: Am I at risk from my Display Screen Equipment? (DSE)

A: No, only a small proportion of DSE users suffer ill health as a result of their work. This is generally caused by the way in which the DSE is being used rather than the DSE itself.

Q: Can working with DSE’s affect eyesight?

A: Extensive research has found no evidence that DSE’s can cause disease or permanent damage to eyes. Long spells of DSE work however, can lead to tired eyes and discomfort.

Q: How long should I work with a DSE?

A: There is no legal limit but you need to break up long spells of DSE work. Short frequent breaks are better than longer, less frequent ones. Changes of activity such as photocopying or filing can be done in the breaks - make use of them if there are no such natural breaks in your job.

Why do you need to have a workstation risk assessment?

A workstation assessment may be carried out to identify the impact of the working environment and processes on an individual or group of staff. This may be where the member of staff has a specific health issue or as a preventative measure.

Health & Safety will look at the working environment to identify issues which effect staff’s abilities to undertake their work safely and effectively and make recommendations for control measures and workplace adaptations. Recommendations may include specialist equipment such as computer input devices or writing aids / slopes, or may focus on changes to working practices. A risk assessment should be undertaken by your local Risk Assessor prior to referral to the Health & Safety Department.

Once you have completed a risk assessment but have been unable to resolve the issues locally, (or the risk score is above 8,) you can make a referral to the Health & Safety Department for more specialist advice.

Please complete a Workstation Assessment Referral Form and send, together with a copy of the risk assessment to the Health & Safety mailbox at stsft.healthandsafety@nhs.net.