DSE Assessment: Display Screen Equipment
for Office and Home Workers

DSE stands for Display Screen Equipment. The term refers to any device with an alphanumeric or graphic display screen, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets used for prolonged work, touch screens, and similar devices used as part of normal work activities.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 place duties on employers to assess and manage the health risks associated with DSE use. These risks include musculoskeletal disorders (back, neck, and shoulder pain, repetitive strain injury), visual fatigue, and stress from poor workstation setup or excessive screen time.

If your employees use a screen for a significant part of their normal work, the DSE Regulations apply to you.

The DSE Regulations apply to 'users' and 'operators' of display screen equipment. A user is an employee who habitually uses DSE as a significant part of their normal work. An operator is a self-employed worker in the same circumstances.

In practice, this means any employee who uses a screen daily for continuous periods of an hour or more, and who has little choice about using the equipment, is a DSE user. This covers the majority of office-based employees, home workers, hybrid workers, and anyone whose role depends on computer-based tasks.

The Regulations do not apply to occasional or brief DSE use. An employee who uses a computer only occasionally to check emails or complete short tasks is not a user and does not require a formal DSE assessment.

Under the DSE Regulations 1992, employers must:

The DSE Regulations exist because these effects are preventable with appropriate workstation setup, regular breaks, and suitable training.

The DSE Regulations apply to employees working at home the same way they apply in the office. The employer's duty does not end when the employee leaves the building.

For home workers, the assessment can be conducted remotely using a structured self-assessment completed by the employee, with a Chartered consultant reviewing the results and providing recommendations. Where issues are identified, the employer is responsible for ensuring appropriate equipment is provided.

For hybrid employees who split time between home and office, assessments should cover both environments. Working from a kitchen table for three days a week creates the same regulatory exposure as an inadequate office setup.

Arinite's DSE assessment service covers office, home, and hybrid setups with a consistent methodology across all three.

Arinite delivers both types of training on-site or online, tailored to your specific workstations and working arrangements. See our full health and safety training page for details.

Arinite provides DSE assessment services for UK businesses ranging from single-location offices to multi-site international organisations. The service includes structured self-assessment for each user, review of completed assessments by a Chartered consultant, in-person or video-based follow-up for users with identified issues, recommendations for equipment, adjustments, or training, and ongoing assessment records maintained within Arinite's health and safety software platform.

For businesses on Done For You or Done With You packages, DSE assessments are included in the service. Assessment schedules are automated through the platform, so every new starter and every workplace change triggers the appropriate assessment without manual tracking.

For businesses seeking standalone DSE assessment services, Arinite offers single-user, team, and organisation-wide programmes.