ABSTRACT
The growth of home and hybrid working and the use of “hot-desking” to reduce accommodation costs has led to a renewed interest in the effects that working with display screen equipment (DSE) can have on employees, particularly in relation to health risks associated with sedentary working and musculoskeletal disorders resulting from poor postures at workstations. This chapter clarifies what problems the use of DSE can cause in the work environment. It sets out the requirements of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 and provides practical guidance on how to comply with the legislation. While the legislation is concerned only with health and safety risks to employees, employers should also recognise that investment in workstation design and set-up and careful management of DSE use will also result in increased levels of productivity with enhanced work rates and decreased levels of sickness. By improving the comfort of people using DSE, the employer could find that the benefits in improved working efficiency easily outweigh any cost implications in complying with the Regulations.
