Eye health and employers

Employers are legally required to comply with the Health and Safety Regulations 1992 regarding use of display screen equipment (DSE). The regulations are intended to prevent health problems such as eye fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders and mental stress by promoting good ergonomic design of equipment, furniture, the working environment and job tasks.

There is no reliable evidence that work with display screen equipment causes any permanent damage to eyes or eyesight. However, there is evidence to suggest that small vision defects that don’t cause symptoms in everyday life may start to cause problems when carrying out more visually demanding tasks.

Who counts as a DSE user?

The regulations define individuals who habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of their normal work as users, for example data input or sales and order processing roles.

• the person depends on the use of display screen equipment to do the job
• the person cannot choose whether to use display screen equipment or not
• the person needs significant training in the use of display screen equipment to do the job
• the person normally uses display screen equipment for continuous periods of at least an hour and more or less daily
• fast transfer of information between the user and the screen is an important requirement of the job
• the performance requirements of the system demand high levels of attention and concentration by the user.

The employer’s responsibilities

The regulations provide minimum requirements and general objectives in five key areas:

1.Arranging eye tests on request, and providing glasses if special ones are needed

Your employees can request that you provide and pay for an eye examination carried out by an optometrist or doctor. The examination should take account of the kind of work that your employee does.

The regulations require that you provide regular eye examinations on request, normally every two years but this is at the discretion of the optometrist.

You may specify that the examination and glasses are provided by a particular company.

You have to pay for glasses if required for the distance at which the screen is viewed. Your will be liable for the cost of basic glasses. However, an employee may need glasses to correct vision defects which include display screen work but go wider than that, if this is the case you need to contribute the costs attributable to the screen display work.

2. Analysing workstations, assessing and reducing risks

You need to examine:

The complete work station

The job and tasks being performed

Any special needs of individual staff

3. Ensuring workstations meet minimum requirements

These requirements cover screens, keyboards, desks, chairs, the work environment and software.

4. Planning work so there are breaks or changes of activity

The regulations require breaks and changes of activity but recognise that these depend on the work itself.

Providing health and safety training and information

You have to provide training to makes sure employees can operate their display screen equipment and workstation safely and effectively to avoid health problems.

You should also provide information about display screen equipment health and safety and what actions you are taking to comply with the regulations.

For more detailed information about how to comply with the regulations, go to www.hse.gov.uk