A DSE assessment is a structured review of your computer workstation to identify anything that could cause physical discomfort or injury over time. DSE stands for display screen equipment, covering monitors, laptops, tablets, and similar devices you use for work. In the UK, employers are legally required to carry out these assessments for anyone who uses a screen daily for continuous periods of an hour or more. The goal is straightforward: check that your setup supports good posture, comfortable viewing, and safe working habits before problems develop.
What the Assessment Covers
A DSE assessment evaluates six specific areas of your workstation: your keyboard, mouse or trackball, display screen, software, furniture, and the surrounding work environment. Each area is checked against a set of risk factors, typically using a yes/no checklist format. The assessment looks at whether your chair supports your lower back properly, whether your screen is at the right height and distance, whether your desk gives you enough space, and whether lighting or glare is causing you to strain your eyes.
Software is an area people don’t expect to see on the checklist. The regulations require that the programs you use are suitable for the task, easy to operate, and adapted to your level of experience. Systems should give you feedback on what they’re doing and display information at a pace you can comfortably process. If you’re fighting clunky software all day, that’s a legitimate ergonomic concern.
Environmental factors matter too. The assessment considers room temperature, noise levels, humidity, and lighting. A workstation that looks fine on paper can still cause problems if overhead lights create glare on your screen or if dry air irritates your eyes over long shifts.
Ergonomic Standards to Know
The key positioning guidelines are simple to remember. The top of your screen should be level with your eyes, roughly an arm’s length away. Your keyboard should sit just below elbow height so your forearms stay roughly parallel to the floor. There should be a gap of 2 to 3 centimetres between the front edge of your seat and the back of your knees, which prevents the chair from pressing into your legs and restricting circulation.
These measurements aren’t arbitrary. A screen that’s too low forces you to tilt your head forward, loading extra weight onto the muscles in your neck and upper back. A keyboard that’s too high causes your shoulders to hunch. Over weeks and months, these small misalignments add up to persistent pain in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, wrists, and hands, along with fatigue and eye strain.
Who Qualifies as a DSE User
You’re classified as a DSE user if you work on a screen daily for continuous stretches of an hour or more. This covers most office workers, call centre staff, designers, developers, and anyone whose job revolves around a computer. People who only use screens occasionally or for short bursts don’t fall under the regulations.
The classification matters because it triggers your employer’s legal obligations. Once you’re a DSE user, your employer must carry out an assessment of your workstation, act on any risks it identifies, and cover the cost of any equipment changes needed to fix problems.
How the Assessment Works
In most cases, DSE assessments are completed as self-assessments. Your employer provides a checklist or online tool, and you work through it yourself, evaluating your own setup against each criterion. For this to be valid, your employer needs to give you enough training to use the tool properly, such as explaining what each question means and what good positioning looks like.
If the self-assessment flags issues that aren’t easy to resolve, or if you have specific physical needs, your employer may bring in a trained DSE assessor or an occupational health professional to evaluate your setup in person. This is more common when someone is returning from injury, experiencing ongoing pain, or has a condition that requires specialist equipment like an ergonomic keyboard or a sit-stand desk.
When Assessments Are Required
There’s no fixed schedule mandating reassessment every year, but employers must carry out a new assessment in four specific situations: when a new workstation is set up, when a new user starts work, when changes are made to an existing workstation or the way it’s used, and when a user complains of pain or discomfort. In practice, many organisations run annual reviews as a precaution, but the legal triggers are event-based rather than calendar-based.
If you’ve recently switched desks, started using a different chair, changed to a laptop from a desktop, or simply started noticing aches you didn’t have before, you have grounds to request a fresh assessment.
DSE Assessments for Home and Hybrid Workers
The same regulations apply if you work from home on a permanent, long-term, or hybrid basis. Your employer should carry out a DSE assessment covering your home setup, and if you split time between home and the office, the assessment should cover both locations. In most cases, your employer doesn’t need to visit your home. A self-assessment completed remotely is sufficient as long as you’ve been trained to use it.
The important detail here is cost. If your home assessment identifies that you need additional equipment, such as a monitor riser, an external keyboard, or a proper desk chair, your employer cannot charge you for it. They’re required to reduce the risks identified by the assessment as far as is reasonably practicable, and that includes providing equipment for home workers just as they would in the office.
Eye Tests and Employer Obligations
As a DSE user, you have a legal right to request an eye test, and your employer must arrange and pay for it. This isn’t a basic vision screening. It should be a full eye and eyesight test carried out by an optometrist or doctor, including both a vision test and an eye examination.
How your employer handles the logistics is flexible. Some companies send all their DSE users to a specific optician, while others let you book your own appointment and reimburse you afterward. If the test reveals you need glasses specifically prescribed for the distance at which you view your screen, your employer must pay for those glasses too. However, if a standard prescription works fine for screen use, they’re not obligated to cover the cost. The distinction is whether you need special lenses for that particular viewing distance or whether your regular glasses do the job.
What Happens After the Assessment
The assessment itself is only useful if its findings lead to action. Once risks are identified, your employer is responsible for making changes. That could be as simple as raising your monitor on a stand, providing a footrest, or repositioning your desk away from a window that causes glare. For more complex issues, it might mean replacing furniture, adjusting your work schedule to include regular breaks from the screen, or consulting an occupational health professional about specialist equipment.
You can’t be asked to pay for any equipment your employer provides as a result of the assessment. If the checklist says you need something to work safely, the cost sits with the employer. This applies equally whether you work in an office, at home, or in both locations.