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Office DSE assessment template

Office DSE assessment template

In partnership with Omny Group

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This resource was created in partnership with health and safety experts at Omny Group. It is intended as a basic general template only and designed for low-risk small to medium sized businesses. For tailored legal advice and support, you can get in touch with the Omny Health & Safety team here.

If your employees use display screen equipment (DSE) as part of their role in the office, you have a duty to protect their health, safety and wellbeing. This includes assessing their set-up and taking reasonable steps to manage any risks linked to DSE use.

This template is designed to be completed by the responsible health and safety person, or a competent manager, in discussion with an individual employee.

It supports compliance with:

 

It focuses on:

    • The employee’s workstation set-up

    • Posture and comfort

    • Screen, keyboard and mouse positioning

    • Breaks and eyesight

 

This assessment relates to office-based working. If the employee also works from home sometimes (even if infrequently), you should also ask them to complete a home working risk assessment and home DSE assessment. There’s a free template for this here.

And remember, if the employee works in multiple office locations, you’ll need to complete a DSE assessment for each one.

If employees hot desk, assess a typical workstation set-up and make sure all desks, chairs and screens can be easily adjusted to suit the user, with clear guidance provided on how to set them up correctly.

 

How to use this template

  • Review the workstation in person

  • Talk through each section with the employee

  • Observe how the employee works at their desk

  • Record findings and any actions required

 

Where issues are identified, practical steps should be agreed and recorded in the action plan.

 

Assessment details

Employee name:  
Job title:  
Department:  
Work location:  
Assessor name:   
Assessor role:  

Date of assessment

  

Next review date:

  

 

 

DSE assessment

Complete the following sections, based on observation and discussion with the employee.

Chair and posture Yes/No
Chair height is adjustable and set correctly   
Backrest is adjustable and provides appropriate lower back support   
Employee can sit with feet flat on the floor or on a footrest   
Elbows are level with, or slightly above, the desk when typing   
Employee understands how to adjust their chair   
No signs or reports of work-related aches, pains, numbness or tingling   

 

Screen set up Yes/No
Screen is directly in front of the employee  
Top of the screen is roughly at eye level   
Screen is at a comfortable viewing distance   
Screen is free from glare or strong reflections   
Brightness and contrast can be adjusted   
Image is clear and stable   
If using a separate screen, it can twist and swivel   
If using multiple screens, they are positioned to avoid twisting   

 

Keyboard and mouse Yes/No
Keyboard and mouse are positioned so arms are relaxed   
There is space to rest wrists and forearms   
Desk space is sufficient for equipment and documents   
Employee uses a separate keyboard and mouse   

 

Other equipment and working practices Yes/No
Headset provided where regular phone use is required   
Document holder provided where needed   
Employee varies tasks where possible   
Employee takes regular short breaks from screen work   
Employee changes posture and moves around during the day   

 

Eyes and eyesight Yes/No
Employee changes posture and moves around during the day   
Employee is aware of entitlement to eye tests for DSE use   
No reported eye strain, headaches or screen-related discomfort    

 

 

Final questions

 

Ask the employee if they have a disability or medical condition and feel that they need adjustments to help them work safely and comfortably? Record their response in the box below.

 

 

Do either you or the employee feel they need more training on setting up their workstation safely? If yes, record what training is required in the box below.

 

 

 

Action tracker

In the table below, record any risks identified in the tables above, as well as:

  • Any agreed actions to control those risks

  • The person responsible for those actions

  • The deadline by which those actions must be taken

You can add more rows if needed.

Remember to also include any actions or reasonable adjustments that are required to support the employee if they have a disability or medical condition.

When an action has been completed, come back here and record the date on which the action was taken.  

Risk Action required Responsible person Deadline (Date) Completed on (Date)
         
         
         
         

 

 

Employee confirmation

I confirm that I have participated in this assessment and discussed my workstation and working practices.

Where risks have been identified, appropriate actions and deadlines have been agreed and recorded.

Employee name:

Signature:

Date:

 

Assessor confirmation

I confirm that I have carried out this assessment carefully and considered the employee’s health and safety.

Where risks have been identified, appropriate actions and deadlines have been agreed and recorded.

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

 

Review and update

This assessment should be kept under review and revisited if any working arrangements change or if the employee reports discomfort of concerns.

Use template

A final reminder

Now you’ve completed your DSE assessment, make sure it’s stored somewhere safe, secure and easy to access – for both you and the employee.

With Breathe, you can upload completed DSE assessments to the employee’s record, keeping them alongside everything else, from contracts to sick leave and booked holiday. So, all the important details about your people live in one place.

You can also manage wider health and safety responsibilities in the same system – creating risk assessments, recording incidents, assigning roles like first aiders and fire wardens, and keeping track of certifications.

It all connects, so you can see the full picture and feel confident nothing’s slipping through the cracks.

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