The Safe use of DSE standard provides a means of assessing the hazards which arise from display screen equipment in order to reduce the risk of injury to employees. This should, in turn, reduce the level of sickness or injury and the risk of civil action in respect of back injury, eye strain, headaches or other musculoskeletal problems.

The standard applies to all University provided fixed and portable display screen equipment used by “users” in the course of their employment. This includes any such equipment used by Postgraduate research students (who are classed as employees for the purposes of this standard) or agency workers who are working under the control of the University.

This standard applies to University employees who are contracted to work from other premises (such as contracted homeworkers and employees routinely working from home with agreement from their line manager) or who are using display screen equipment provided by other organisations (such as when working as a display screen equipment user at another employer’s premises). Occasionally or informally working at home is not covered by this standard although it is recommended that employees follow the University’s guidance on safe set up and use of Display Screen Equipment.

This standard does not apply to display screen equipment provided for short-period use only, such as display screen equipment associated with some research equipment (such as display screens associated with electron microscopes) nor does it apply to equipment provided for undergraduate and postgraduate taught student use. However, in these cases the general requirements for risk assessment will apply and the minimum requirements for computer workstations should be observed so far as is reasonably practicable.