Responsibilities

2.1 Managers responsibilities 

• Ensure all workstations including those used for hot-desking (except those used by non-employees) comply with the minimum standards.
• Decide who is a DSE user.
• Ensure users complete training and carry out a DSE assessment and keep records.
• Act upon any recommendations arising from the user/workstation assessments and keep records. This may entail for example, the purchase of alternative equipment, re-locating furniture or the user, contacting HR, the Health and Safety Team or your own line manager.
• Ensure that users have sufficient variety of tasks or take regular breaks to reduce the intensity of DSE work to a reasonable level.
• Investigate any complaints of ill health by users.
• Ensure that employees have received sufficient training in the use of the software they are using.
• Encourage employees to keep their workstations correctly adjusted, clean, tidy and to abide by agile working/hot-desking guidelines.
• Provide relevant equipment including, where appropriate, a suitable wheeled bag or rucksack for agile and home workers.
• Ensure that users receive recompense for eye tests/spectacles as required.

2.2 Employers responsibilities

• If you are a designated user, complete training (this may be simply reading the guidance in Appendix 1 if there is no access to on-line training), carry out self-assessment using the HSE, DSE Checklist and discuss any issues that you cannot resolve yourself, with your line manager.
• Report any health problems which may be caused or made worse with use of DSE to your line manager who will arrange for a further assessment. Inform your manager if you become pregnant.
• Report any IT software or hardware defects to your manager, Technology Services or your School ICT Team as appropriate.
• Ensure you have had the necessary training on the software you use
• Take regular breaks away from the workstation
• Have your eyes tested regularly by an optician (remember to print the Eye Test form in Appendix 3 below)
• Keep your workstation clean, tidy and well laid out as recommended in training or the guidance below
• Abide by hot-desking/agile working guidelines with regards to packing up and leaving the area suitable for another user
• Learn how to adjust your chair and report any defect or problems to your line manager, Facilities or Headteacher
• If you are an agile worker, ensure you have a suitable wheeled bag or rucksack and other relevant equipment such as a mobile phone.

See Appendix 1 for guidance