This document provides guidance on workplace ergonomics and proper setup of a workstation for display screen equipment (DSE) use. It emphasizes the importance of adjustable seating and equipment positioning to allow for changes in posture and a comfortable working position. Key recommendations include ensuring the screen, keyboard, mouse and documents are positioned to minimize strain on the body and eyes. Proper lighting and avoidance of glare is also advised.

1. The information contained in this presentation is part of our commitment to the health and
safety of our employees. Please study it as part of your own obligations to your health and
safety, and afterwards complete the short quiz.
‘Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and
licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0’.
DSE Workstation

2. Seating and posture for typical office tasks.
DSE Workstation

3. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seat back adjustable
Good lumbar support
Seat height adjustable
No excess pressure on undersides of
thighs and backs of knees
Foot support if needed
Space for postural change, no
obstructions under desk
Forearms approximately horizontal
Wrists not excessively bent, up
down or sideways
Screen height and angle to allow
comfortable head position
Space in front of keyboard to
support hands/wrists during pauses
in keying
Feet must be flat on the floor or flat
on a foot rest if necessary
Seating and posture for typical office tasks.

4. •
•
Work surface
Documents and equipment
must not prevent you from
setting up your screen and
keyboard directly in front of
you
Document holder should be at
the same height as and
immediately alongside your
screen

5. •
•
•
Lighting
A mixture of room lighting and
task lighting must ensure
adequate levels of light and an
appropriate contrast between
screen and background
Type of work and operator
vision must be considered
There should be no glare or
reflection

6. • The screen should be approx arms length
from your eyes, directly in front of you
•The top of the screen should be more or
less level with your eyes
•It should swivel and tilt to allow the
optimum position for you to use it
•The image onscreen should be clear and
stable without flickering
•The screen should have easy to use
controls for you to adjust brightness and
contrast
•Your desk and screen should be positioned
to avoid reflections and glare
•Curtains and blinds should be used where
positioning of the screen cannot be done to
prevent reflections and glare
Your Screen

7. •
•
•
Your keyboard
Should have non-reflective matt
surface
Should allow you to adjust it for
height and angle to achieve a
comfortable working position
Characters should be clear and
easy to read

8. •
•
Hands and wrists should be more
or less straight when keying, with
no bending up, down or sideways
You should have enough room in
front of your keyboard to rest
your wrists/hands when paused
from keying
Hands and wrists

9. •
•
•
•
•
Chair
Ideally the chair should have 5
wheels/castors
Seat height must allow user to
have elbows at the desk top
height when typing
Seat height must be adjustable to
enable comfortable working
position
Seat back must be adjustable for
height and tilt to enable a
comfortable working position
Users must know how to make
these adjustments for
themselves

10. •
•
The mouse should be positioned
close to the user so that the
elbow is close to the body when
using the mouse
You must not have to stretch
when using your mouse
Mouse position