What is the purpose of a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessment?
A DSE assessment has been requested by you/your employer, the aim of which is to investigate your working tasks, the equipment/software used, organisational factors, posture and working behaviours to ensure they are compliant with local legislation and policy, and to identify any problems that may be interfering with your ability to perform your working tasks or contributing to symptoms you may be experiencing. The assessment allows our team to propose changes and remedial actions that could reduce or resolve any issues.
How is a remote DSE assessment conducted?
You will be sent an invitation to book your DSE assessment, either via a booking link or directly with one of the Inspired Ergonomics team. Remote assessments are conducted using a suitable video conferencing platform, such as Zoom or Teams, depending on the agreement we hold with your employer. When using the booking link, you will be asked to enter your name and email and then you will be able to select a time that is suitable for you. It is important that you select a date and time for when you are in the correct location. For example, if your home workstation must be assessed, you should plan your assessment on a day when you will be in that location.
Once you have booked your appointment you will be sent a confirmation email that will guide you through the rest of the process. Please save the event in your diary so that you can have easy access to the link to the meeting when it is time for your assessment. Please make sure you can access the relevant platform on your device prior to the assessment.
You will receive reminder emails before the event. These will prompt you to share some photographs of your workstation and the equipment you use. Instructions for these will be included in the email, however, it is important to ensure that no confidential information is accidentally shared in the photograph. To assist with this, you will be prompted to turn off any screens and ensure paperwork is not displayed. Please also be mindful of your surrounding area, such as colleague’s screens before taking the photographs. If someone else is able to take the photographs for you it can be extremely helpful for the assessor to see you at your workstation as it helps them understand how you might interact with your equipment when working. You can email these directly to your assessor by replying to the confirmation email or any reminder emails that you are sent.
On the day of the assessment, you will be required to be at the workstation that is to be assessed. If you would prefer to speak to the assessor in private for increased confidentiality, please make sure you have arranged for a private room/area close to your workstation. Once you have completed any confidential discussions you will return to your workstation to complete the rest of the assessment.
During the assessment your assessor will ask you questions to understand your general health and lifestyle, history of any symptoms you have experienced, your job role, equipment used, working behaviours, tasks you complete and any problems you encounter when performing your working tasks. They may also talk to you about interaction with colleagues, the use of software, levels of stress or other factors that may influence your health and wellbeing. If deemed necessary, the assessor may guide you to make changes to your positioning or use of equipment, working routines or other factors. If new equipment is required it may be necessary to take some simple measurements of your existing equipment or your own body, such as the length of your back or thigh, so that the correct equipment can be provided. Therefore, we ask that you have a tape measure to hand. These measurements are simple to take, and your assessor will guide you every step of the way.
Upon completion of the assessment, the assessor will make sure you are aware of what will be included in your report, which will be sent to the person or department that requested the service.
Do I have to send photographs?
The ability to see your workstation and equipment prior to the assessment is very helpful for the assessor and can help save time during the assessment itself, but you do not have to send photographs if this makes you feel uncomfortable or you are worried about an aspect of confidentiality. Please do reply to the emails to let your assessor know that you would prefer not to share any images prior to the assessment. Your assessor will work with you to find out all of the information they require in another way.
Do I have to disclose sensitive information?
You do not have to disclose information if you do not wish to, however, the more information the assessor has, the more suitable recommendations can be made. The failure to answer questions or to provide information may result in incorrect recommendations being made. Please be aware that if you feel there is information that would be helpful for the assessor to know, but you would prefer that it is not included in a report to your employer, please make that clear to your assessor who will deal with this information in confidence.
What is included in the report and who sees it?
Following completion of a DSE assessment a report is written, quality checked by our team and then shared with your employer. The way in which this is shared will depend on the agreement held with your employer. Reports are usually shared as password protected documents or via a secure method with two-factor authentication. Once the report is sent to your employer it will be handled in line with the internal company policies and procedures. If you have any questions about this, you are advised to contact your employer. To protect your privacy and confidentiality, it will not usually contain any sensitive health data that specifically contains a diagnosis or reveals information about specific medical treatments – you can agree to this information being provided to your employer, but we will not do so unless you explicitly agree to this, or if we believe that we have a legal safeguarding obligation to do so under safeguarding law or to prevent harm. Usually, the report will refer to symptom type and area (such as back pain or pins and needles in the hand) so that your employer can understand why modifications are being suggested.
What if I need to cancel or rearrange my assessment?
Assessments that have been booked via a booking link can be rearranged or cancelled by following the links at the bottom of the confirmation email. Where bookings have been made directly with our team, you are advised to send an email to your assessor or the person who made the booking for you. We require a minimum of two working days to allow for the rearranging or cancellation of any service without charge. Cancellation or rearrangements that have less than two working days’ notice will be charged to your employer. If this happens, we are usually authorised to allow you to make one further booking, but if this were to happen again, authorisation may be required from your employer to make any further bookings.
Do I have to participate?
You do not have to participate in any part of this process if it makes you feel uncomfortable. We ask you to inform your assessor of any concerns you have to allow them to work with you to find another way to obtain the information required, or to discuss ways to ensure that no sensitive information is disclosed unnecessarily to your employer. Your employer has a legal obligation to assess and reduce risk, where reasonably practicable, and generally you are required through your contract of employment to actively participate in this process. If you do not want to participate with this service, you are advised to contact your employer to discuss this further.
What happens to my personal data?
Your data is securely stored for a period of 8 (eight) years on the Inspired Ergonomics system, in compliance with current guidelines provided by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. More information can be found on our data protection page, on our website. Once a report is shared with your employer, this will be treated in line with your company’s own data protection and retention policies.
Other information
When providing all of our services, we request that attendees are respectful and attentive. All of our services put individual needs front and centre, and everyone is treated equally and with the utmost respect. For this reason, we embrace constructive engagement, but we maintain the right to terminate any service for any inappropriate behaviour from any employee or their colleagues.
Contact us if you have any questions or concerns on [email protected]