DSE training: what the law requires for screen users

Anyone who spends their day at a screen is covered by the Display Screen Equipment Regulations, and the training duty starts before they become a user. This is what the regulations and HSE say, quoted from legislation.gov.uk and hse.gov.uk on 19 October 2026. It is a summary, not legal advice.

Key takeaways

• Before someone becomes a user, train them.
• Again when their workstation is substantially modified.
• A user is someone who uses screens daily for an hour or more at a time, per HSE.
• No fixed refresher interval in the regulations.

What regulation 6 requires

Regulation 6 says the employer "shall ensure that he is provided with adequate health and safety training in the use of any workstation upon which he may be required to work", and that "the training shall be provided before he becomes a user". Training is also required whenever the organisation of a workstation is substantially modified, and HSE's guidance on the regulations (L26) adds that it should "be refreshed or updated as the hardware, software, workstation, environment or job are modified". Regulation 1 defines a user as "an employee who habitually uses display screen equipment as a significant part of his normal work"; HSE says the rules "apply to workers who use DSE daily, for continuous periods of an hour or more" (HSE DSE).

What it should cover

HSE's DSE training page says training "should include":

• good posture;
• adjusting chairs and other furniture;
• arranging desk space;
• adjusting screens and lighting to avoid reflections and glare;
• breaks and changes of activity;
• risk assessments;
• how to report problems.

HSE adds that employers "should also tell users about the general arrangements they have made for health and safety in their DSE work, and how they can apply for an eye test". HSE's free leaflet INDG36 covers the same ground.

Training and the workstation checklist

Training and assessment go together. INDG36 says the HSE workstation checklist "gives practical guidance on workstation assessments and is designed to encourage users to take an active part. If users are suitably trained, they can fill in the checklist themselves." HSE's guidance on the regulations (L26) adds that "It is good practice for this training to be given before users take part in risk assessments." So train first, then hand over the checklist.

Turn your DSE slides into a course

A DSE module is five steps: posture, chair, desk, screen and breaks. Reigniter turns your slides into a short interactive course with a voiceover and a question at each step, shared by a link, and your first module is free. Paid plans add certificates, learner results and SCORM for your LMS; see training without an LMS.

For fire safety, manual handling, COSHH, data protection and induction, see what training UK law requires.