DSE and home working: what employers need to do

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Written by Chris Clark, chartered health and safety professional, 3Sixty Health & Safety

More than a third of workers in Great Britain now work from home for some or all of the week. In March 2026, HSE reminded employers that home workers must be protected like any other employee. One of the three areas it highlighted was display screen equipment (DSE): the computers, laptops and screens people use every day. Here’s what the law expects, how it applies to home and hybrid workers, and a free tool to help your team set up properly.

Who counts as a DSE user?

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 apply to workers who use a screen daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more. In most offices that’s nearly everyone. The rules apply wherever the work is done: in the office, at home, hybrid or hot-desking.

They don’t apply to people who only use a screen occasionally or for short periods. Someone who checks emails at home now and then isn’t covered in the same way as someone who works from their spare room three days a week.

What employers must do

For every DSE user, you must:

  • Assess their workstation and reduce the risks you find, so far as reasonably practicable. Review the assessment when things change or someone reports discomfort.
  • Plan breaks or changes of activity. HSE’s guidance is that short, frequent breaks are better than longer, less frequent ones. For example, 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours.
  • Arrange an eye test if a user asks for one, and pay for it. If they need glasses specifically for screen work, you must pay for a basic pair.
  • Give them training and information on setting up and using their workstation safely.

Home and hybrid workers

This is where many businesses have gaps. HSE’s guidance is practical:

  • You don’t usually need to visit. Workers can assess their own home workstation, provided they’ve had suitable training and use a proper checklist.
  • Cover both places. If someone works at home and in the office, the assessment should cover both.
  • You can’t charge for equipment. If the assessment shows someone needs something, such as a chair, a separate keyboard or a laptop stand, workers can’t be charged for it.

The most common problems we see are laptops used all day on a kitchen table, dining chairs with no back support, and screens far too low. Each is easy to fix, but only if someone asks the question.

Five practical steps

  1. List your DSE users, and where each of them works.
  2. Get every user to complete a workstation self-assessment, including home workers.
  3. Act on what comes back. Provide the equipment people need and follow up anyone who reports aches, pains or eye strain.
  4. Tell people about breaks and eye tests, and make sure workloads allow for them.
  5. Review when someone moves desk, changes equipment, starts working from home or reports discomfort.

Try our free DSE self-assessment

Free DSE workstation self-assessment

A step-by-step visual guide that shows your team how to set up their chair, screen, keyboard and mouse, with a quick check at each step. It works for office, home and hybrid workers. At the end, they can download their completed assessment and any actions as a PDF to share with their manager.

Start the DSE self-assessment

Need help putting it in place?

If you’d like a simple DSE process for your business, or someone to follow up the problems your team finds, our chartered consultants can help. Book a free review, or find out about retained support.

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