Why should you conduct a DSE assessment?

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 aim to protect the health of people who work with DSE. To comply with these regulations organisations must:

> Provide training for users on the risks involved in sustained use of DSE and how to mitigate these risks through safe behaviour and practices.
> Assess employee workstations and reduce the risks caused by DSE

The Inmarkets DSE Assessment tool provides an efficient and robust mechanism for achieving both of these objectives.

Guidance on the full range of measures required to comply with the DSE regulations can be found on the HSE website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg90.pdf

The Inmarkets DSE Assessment Tool

For many organisations the most practical approach to DSE assessment is to ask employees to conduct a self assessment of their workstation and report any health problems that may be related to working with DSE. The Inmarkets DSE Assessment tool combines training and advice on how to use DSE with an online survey to capture employee feedback on their DSE set-up. The solution comprises two key elements which are delivered via Inmarkets Skillcast Portal learning management system:

> The DSE Assessment module
> The DSE Case Management System

The DSE Assessment Module

The DSE Assessment module is an interactive e-learning course that guides employees through the process of assessing their workstation and captures their responses to a series of self assessment questions. The questions are based on the checklist provided by the Health and Safety Executive.

Our template module is designed to be customised to fit with the policies and procedures of your organisation.

The Skillcast Portal learning management system is used to deliver the DSE Assessment module. The module can be assigned to employees with deadlines for completion and automated invitation and reminder emails set-up to ensure high completion rates are achieved with minimum effort.

The DSE Case Management System

Your Health and Safety advisors (or other personnel responsible for DSE) will be able to access the DSE Case Management System via Skillcast Portal. Employees who have completed the DSE Assessment module are placed into one of four risk categories:

1.     Employees who have reported issues with their workstation and associated health problems
2.     Employees who have reported issues with their workstation
3.     Employees who have reported health problems which could be associated with DSE
4.     Employees who have not reported any issues

In cases where employees are in categories 1-3, the Health and Safety advisor can use the system to view the reported issues. Subsequent email communications between the Health and Safety advisor and the employee are captured and stored in the system and the Health and Safety advisor can leave notes to document other interactions such as phone calls and face-to-face meetings. When the individual issues are resolved the Health and Safety advisor can close them in the system and the employee will move into risk category 4.

Automated Response Emails

In large organisations it may be impractical for Health and Safety advisors to deal with all reported issues, so the DSE Case Management System enables them to create automated responses for certain types of issue. For example, if an employee reports that chair is not functioning correctly an automated response can be sent telling them how to contact the facilities department and order a replacement. If an automated response is used, the employee’s issue is recorded in the system along with the automated response with a status of closed. If the employee is unable to resolve the issue using the advice provided they are invited to contact the Health and Safety advisor who will re-open the issue and assist them in resolving it.

Diagnostic Reports

The DSE Case Management System provides powerful diagnostic reports which enable Health and Safety advisors to identify trends and recurring issues across the organisation and in specific locations. For example, if many employees in a particular location report that the air is uncomfortably dry the Health and Safety advisor may decide to improve the ventilation or install humidifiers to improve the situation.

What is DSE?

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) means equipment with an alphanumeric or graphic display screen, such as PCs, laptops, touch-screens and other similar devices. Sustained usage of these devices can lead to neck, shoulder, back or arm pain, as well as with fatigue and eyestrain. These issues can be avoided if users follow effective practice, set up their workstations properly and take breaks during prolonged use. By just taking a few simple precautions, work with DSE can be more comfortable and productive.