4. Using computers and laptops safely at home
You must protect your workers from health and safety risks from working on a computer or laptop (display screen equipment or DSE) at home.
You should check to see if the DSE regulations apply to your workers. Where the regulations do apply, you should carry out a DSE assessment for individual workers.
DSE assessment
Workers can complete a self-assessment provided they have been given suitable training. Where they use DSE in the home and office, your assessments should cover both situations.
You should ensure:
- home workers can achieve a comfortable, sustainable posture while working with DSE
- any equipment provided is safe and suitable for use
They may not necessarily need office-type furniture or equipment at home to achieve a good posture. Equally, a worker’s own furniture or equipment may not be suitable or sufficient. Use your DSE assessments to help you decide what is needed for your own workers’ situations and circumstances.
You should reduce the risks identified by your DSE assessment so far as reasonably practicable. This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble.
Where your DSE workstation assessment indicates you need to take some action, for example providing a piece of DSE equipment, your workers cannot be charged for this.
Good posture when using display screen equipment
The following video gives basic advice on how to maintain good posture.
Find out more
There is more guidance on DSE for home workers including practical tips on good posture.