Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 embrace the minimum health and safety requirements of EU Directive (90/270/EEC) for work screen equipment (DSE).

The Regulations do not replace general obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Provision and Use at Work Regulations 1998.

The objectives of the Regulations are to improve working conditions at DSE by providing ergonomic solutions, to enable certain regular users of the equipment to obtain eye and eyesight tests and information about hazards, risks and control measures associated with their workstations.

Regulation 2 requires every employer to perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of those workstations that are used by users or operators, to assess the health and safety risks to which they are exposed as a consequence.

Regulation 3 requires that all workstations used by users or operators must meet the requirements of the Schedule to the Regulations. The Schedule to the Regulations lists minimum requirements for the workstation; the matters dealt with are:

1. display screen
2. keyboard
3. work desk / surface
4. space requirements
5. work chair
6. lighting
7. reflection and glare
8. noise
9. heat
10. radiation
11. humidity
12. computer / user-operator interface

There are 5 requirements of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992:

1. risk assessment
2. schedule compliance
3. work break / activity changes
4. eye and eyesight tests, corrective appliances
5. training and information