DSE assessment assesses and analyzes the risks of using Display Screen Equipment (DSE) in the workplace. DSE includes laptops, computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices with screens.
A comprehensive assessment is conducted to evaluate employees’ workstation setup, including the display screen, mouse, keyboard, chair, and desk, to identify and mitigate ergonomic/musculoskeletal issues like:
Neck, shoulder, back, and arm pain
Fatigue
Eyestrain
Let’s understand each component of the DSE assessment:
This involves assessing the following:
Desk and chair for comfortable positioning of arms and lumbar support, respectively.
Placement of screen to ensure it is at eye level and an arm’s length away.
Lighting to minimize shadows, glare, and strain on the eyes.
This involves assessing equipment like:
Keyboard and mouse to ensure they’re close to the user while their arms and wrists are relaxed.
Display screen to ensure its brightness and resolution are comfortable for viewing.
Footrests or wrist support to offer additional comfort to employees.
This involves ensuring employees:
Take regular breaks every 30-60 minutes to reduce strain and improve circulation.
Make postural changes to avoid static postures that might lead to fatigue and discomfort.
Perform eye exercises to reduce eye strain, such as the 20-20-20 rule, which involves looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Here’s why every organization must implement DSE assessment:
A DSE assessment is crucial to ensure employee health and workplace safety. By identifying potential issues related to ergonomics, organizations can prevent eye strain, musculoskeletal disorders, and fatigue.
Organizations need regular DSE assessments to help them comply with obligations like the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.
DSE assessments help identify and fix ergonomics-related issues, which eventually improve comfort. This reduces absenteeism and sick days and boosts productivity.
Here’s an example to help you understand the concept of DSE assessment better:
A DSE assessment expert or assessor examines the chair and desk setup to ensure the chair offers ample support and allows the employee’s feet to rest flat.
The monitor is examined to ensure it is at eye level, an arm’s length away, and has no glare.
The position of the keyboard and mouse is assessed to ensure the wrists remain straight during use.
The assessor also reviews environmental factors, including lighting and noise levels, to ensure they don’t add any discomfort or strain to the employees.
If any issues are found, adjustments are implemented, and employee training is provided.
This detailed evaluation helps organizations prevent musculoskeletal issues (fatigue and pain in the neck, shoulder, back, and arms) and enhance overall productivity and comfort at the workplace.
Here are some challenges associated with DSE assessments:
DSE assessments can be pretty thorough and require a lot of time, disrupting an organization's regular operations.
If employees aren’t aware of the purpose behind DSE assessments, they might not sound too welcoming.
Ergonomic needs can be pretty subjective, i.e., vary from person to person. Customizing the assessments based on unique individual needs requires more resources, expertise, and time.
In addition to the regular DSE assessment, here are some other methods organizations can rely on:
These assessments involve evaluating home or remote workstations via videoconferencing. The goal is to ensure ergonomic standards and employee health and safety.
These audits help evaluate the DSE practices implemented within the organization to identify areas for improvement.
Several online platforms allow employees to examine their workstations online, offering immediate feedback and recommendations for improvement.
This method involves educating employees on the best practices for setting up workstations to address potential issues and ensure workplace safety.