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Display Screen Equipment in Care Services Policy

Policy Statement

{{org_field_name}} takes the health, safety and welfare of its staff seriously. It is our policy to provide a working environment that is safe, comfortable and maximises the effectiveness of employees. This will include full compliance with applicable health and safety legislation, best practice guidance and professional standards.

The organisation understands that the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 apply to work with display screen equipment (DSE). Compliance with the DSE Regulations are in addition to the general duties on employers contained within the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974.

Policy Background

Typical of many modern businesses, numerous job roles in {{org_field_name}} involve the use of computers or other DSE. In this respect, it is known that workers who use DSE as a significant part of their role may experience problems such as fatigue, eye strain, upper limb problems and backache if they overuse DSE or if they sit at poorly designed workstations with a poor posture.

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 were introduced by the Health and Safety Executive to help control the risks of injury from using DSE. The regulations require employers to ensure that staff who use DSE as a significant part of their job role have properly set up workstations, take regular breaks and have access to appropriate eye tests.

{{org_field_name}} recognises that the DSE Regulations do not technically apply to staff who use equipment infrequently or for short periods of time. However, the organisation takes the view that the regulations and their associated guidance represent good practice for all people who work with DSE, including those who work occasionally with equipment such as computers and laptops.

In {{org_field_name}}, the following definitions will therefore apply.

• DSE: any alphanumeric or graphic display screen, regardless of the display process involved, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, other handheld scanners and readers, and smartphones.
• DSE user: any employee who uses DSE as part of their normal work.
• Workstations: the immediate work environment around DSE where people work, including desks, chairs, keyboards, printers and other peripherals and accessories.

General Policy

In {{org_field_name}}:

• the use of DSE will be subject to risk assessment — the assessment will be followed by the provision, maintenance and monitoring of appropriate control measures to minimise any hazards
• individual DSE users and their workstations will be assessed and appropriate control measures introduced to reduce any risks identified — these might include changes to the DSE equipment itself (eg a new mouse, screen or keyboard) or changes to chairs, desks, lighting, posture, etc
• workstation assessments will be regularly reviewed as appropriate or reviewed wherever there have been changes such as where a member of staff moves to a new workstation or uses a temporary or shared workstation
• staff using DSE will be encouraged to take regular breaks from DSE work for a short period each hour — these can be informal rest breaks away from the screen or a change of work activity to something that does not involve DSE use
• a DSE safety checklist and information pack will be made available to all staff who use DSE which supports them in assessing and adjusting their own workstations and working habits
• staff who use DSE for a significant part of their working time will be eligible for an annual eyesight test — a set contribution will be made by the organisation towards new glasses needed for DSE work and the organisation will meet in full the cost of the tests and of any special corrective appliances which need to be prescribed where normal glasses or lenses are not sufficient for an employee to carry out their work
• all new staff will be made aware of this policy during their induction and general DSE safety awareness will be included in health and safety training
• DSE workstation risk assessments should identify any reasonable adjustments which need to be made under the Equality Act 2010 — these might include specialist IT equipment or adaptations to chairs and desks required for staff who have disabilities or ongoing health issues.

Responsibilities

Managers

Line managers have day-to-day responsibility for workers. They must:

• carry out “a suitable and sufficient analysis” of DSE workstations
• plan DSE users’ activities so that work is periodically broken up by activity changes
• provide DSE users with appropriate eye and eyesight tests at their request and at the employer’s cost
• provide DSE users with adequate health and safety training
• inform DSE users about the health and safety aspects of their workstations.

Employees

Employees must:

• participate in relevant health and safety training
• tell their manager if they have any issues with their DSE equipment, and about any discomfort or health condition they think is due to DSE use
• comply with safe systems of DSE work, eg by taking regular screen breaks where the employer has deemed them necessary
• co-operate with the employer in the use and care of DSE, eg workstation accessories or spectacles provided for DSE use.

Monitoring

In order to achieve our goals, we will assess risks from the use of DSE. The assessment will be followed by the provision, maintenance and monitoring of appropriate control measures to minimise any risks identified.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next review date: this policy is reviewed annually (every 12 months). When needed, this policy is also updated in response to changes in legislation, regulation, best practices, or organisational changes.

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