Health and Safety Law 2024 (October 2024)

The HSE makes clear that employers “have the same health and safety responsibilities for people working at home as for any other worker” and so must protect workers from health and safety risks from working on a computer or laptop at home. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 can apply to workers who work at home or work on a hybrid basis. Workers are DSE users if they work on DSE daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more. Where the regulations apply, employers should carry out a DSE assessment for individual workers. Workers can complete a self-assessment, but they must have been given suitable training. Where workers use DSE in the home and office, assessments should cover both situations. Homeworkers should be able to achieve a comfortable, sustainable posture while working with DSE and any equipment provided must be safe and suitable for use. Employers should reduce the risks identified by the DSE assessment so far as reasonably practicable.

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