Display Screen Equipment: Just the Figures
Display Screen Equipment: the whole thing in five minutes, for when you want the numbers and nothing else.
Workstation setup and use for people who work regularly with screens.
Key takeaways
- Legal duty: DSE assessment for regular users
- Free eye tests: employers must fund them for DSE users
- Most useful single change: Request a DSE assessment; it is your employer's duty to provide one.
- Commonest mistake: Working from a laptop on your lap for long periods.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Legal duty | DSE assessment for regular users |
| Free eye tests | employers must fund them for DSE users |
| Screen position | top roughly at eye level, about an arm's length away |
| Break interval | change position every 30 minutes or so |
In one paragraph
Employers must assess it by law, and the largest single factor remains how long you stay in one position.
Worth doing
- Request a DSE assessment; it is your employer's duty to provide one
- Set the chair first, then the desk height, then the screen
- Take the funded eye test you are entitled to
- Change position regularly rather than chasing one perfect posture
Worth avoiding
- Working from a laptop on your lap for long periods
- Holding a phone between ear and shoulder
- Assuming equipment alone removes the need to move
Where to go next
- Display Screen Equipment: What to Do, in Order
- Myths About Display Screen Equipment, Checked Against the Guidance
- Display Screen Equipment — the reference entry
- The Evidence on Occupational Asthma, Without the Hype
- Noise at Work: What Published Guidance Supports
When to speak to a doctor
See a GP for persistent numbness, tingling or weakness in the hands or arms, which can indicate nerve compression. Seek urgent assessment for weakness in both legs, or any bladder or bowel changes with back pain. Report work-related symptoms to your employer and occupational health.
Where this comes from
- Health and Safety Executive — display screen equipment
- NHS — Common posture mistakes
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
