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Display Screen Equipment Appendix 1

Standard requirements for workstations

Minimum requirements for workstations are contained in the Schedule to the DSE Regulations and set out standards workstations must meet to help ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. For information, this has been reproduced as follows:

Equipment

  • Use of the equipment must not be a source of risk for operators or users.

Display screen

  • The characters on the screen shall be well-defined and clearly formed, of adequate size and with adequate spacing between the characters and lines.
  • The image on the screen should be stable, with no flickering or other forms of instability.
  • The brightness and contrast between the characters and the background shall be easily adjustable by the operator or user, and be easily adjustable to ambient conditions.
  • The screen shall be free of reflective glare and reflections liable to cause discomfort to the operator or user.

Keyboard

  • The keyboard shall be tiltable/appropriately shaped and separate from the screen so as to allow the operator or user to find a comfortable working position avoiding fatigue in the arms or hands. Space in front of the keyboard shall be sufficient to provide support for the hands and arms of the operator or user.
  • The keyboard shall have a matt surface to avoid reflective glare.
  • Arrangement of the keyboard and the characteristics of the keys shall be such as to facilitate the use of the keyboard.
  • Symbols on the keys shall be adequately contrasted and legible from the design working position.

Laptop

  • Where a laptop is predominantly used, user should ensure they use a separate keyboard especially if they are experiencing aches/pains in their wrists/forearms. If using a separate keyboard, and using the laptop as an additional screen, it should be raised so the top of the screen is at eye level. This can be achieved in a number of ways such as using a laptop riser or books.

Work desk or work surface

  • The work desk or work surface shall have a sufficiently large, low-reflective surface and allow a flexible arrangement of the screen, keyboard, documents and related equipment.
  • Where required, the document holder shall be stable and adjustable and positioned so as to minimise the need for uncomfortable head and eye movements.
  • There shall be adequate space for operators or users to find a comfortable position.

Work chair

  • The work chair shall be stable and allow the operator/user easy freedom of movement and a comfortable position:

    • The seat shall be adjustable in height
    • The seat back shall be adjustable in both height and tilt
    • A footrest shall be made available to any operator or user who requests one

  • Whilst working at home, it may be difficult to adjust available home chairs to achieve a comfortable position. Where staff are having difficulties they should speak with their line manager about the option of using a standard operators chair at home.

Health and Safety enquiries

+44 (0) 1865 603060

healthandsafety@brookes.ac.uk

Environment

Space requirements

  • The workstation shall provide sufficient space for the operator or user to change position and vary movements.

Lighting

  • Any room lighting or task lighting provided shall ensure satisfactory lighting conditions and an appropriate contrast between the screen and background environment, considering the type of work and vision requirements of the operator or user.
  • Possible disturbing glare and reflections on the screen or other equipment shall be prevented by coordinating workplace and workstation layout with the positioning and technical characteristics of the artificial light sources.

Reflections and glare

  • Workstations shall be so designed that sources of light, e.g. windows and other openings, transparent or translucent walls, and brightly coloured fixtures or walls cause no direct glare and no distracting reflections on the screen.
  • Windows shall be fitted with a suitable system of adjustable covering to attenuate the daylight that falls on the workstation.

Noise

  • Noise emitted by equipment belonging to any workstation shall be taken into account when a workstation is being equipped, so as not to be distracting or disturbing.

Heat

  • Equipment belonging to any workstation shall not produce excess heat which could cause discomfort to operators or users.

Radiation

  • All radiation with exception of the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum shall be reduced to negligible levels from the point of view of the protection of operators or users.

Humidity

  • An adequate level of humidity shall be established and maintained.  

Interface between computer and operator/user

In designing, selecting, commissioning and modifying software, and in designing tasks using display screen equipment, the employer shall take into account the following principles:

  • Software must be suitable for the task.
  • Software must be easy to use and, where appropriate, adaptable to the level of knowledge or experience of the operator/user; no quantitative or qualitative checking facility may be used without the knowledge of operators/users.
  • Systems must display information in a format and at a pace which are adapted to operators or users.
  • Principles of software ergonomics must be applied, in particular to human data processing.