Office Legislation – What You Need to Know

Under The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 employers are required to take account of the relative comfort of employees who work with display screen equipment (DSE) and plan both their work and their workstations accordingly.  This can be done through the application of a relevant risk assessment and consulting with employees on their comfort and taking any suitable measures to ensure this. Factors to consider are the posture of employees, their surroundings, the potentially repetitive nature of their work and the room given to employees at their desks.  The HSE give the following recommendations and requirements on what to provide when working with DSE:

• Suitable and adequate lighting
• Adequate contrast (no glare or distracting reflections)
• Minimise distracting noise (this could be done by installing partitions or planning a suitable layout)
• Reasonable legroom and clearances to allow postural changes
• A usable, adjustable, detachable and legible keyboard
• Software that is appropriate to the task
• A screen that is adjustable, glare free and has a stable image
• A work surface that has sufficient space for flexible arrangement of equipment and documents
• A stable chair that is adjustable in both height and tilt
• A footrest if required

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