Computer Health and Safety: How Small Businesses Can Protect Their Staff

TL;DR: Computers themselves are not usually the problem. The real risks come from spending long periods sitting badly, using poorly positioned equipment, staring at a screen without a break and repeating the same movements for hours. For small businesses, a few simple changes to desks, chairs, screens and working habits can make a big difference.

Why Computer Health and Safety Matters to Small Businesses

For many small businesses, computers have become as important as the telephone was a few decades ago. Whether you run an office, manage a shop, work in an accounts department or spend your day dealing with customers online, there is a good chance that you spend a large part of your working day looking at a screen.

That makes computer health and safety something worth taking seriously. It is easy to assume that sitting at a computer is a harmless job, especially when compared with construction, manufacturing or other physically demanding work. However, problems can develop slowly when someone spends day after day working at an unsuitable workstation.

The computer itself is not normally the danger. Modern computer screens do not expose workers to harmful levels of radiation simply because they are being used, unlike the older cathode-ray tube (CRT) computer screens that emitted low levels of X-rays and electromagnetic fields. The bigger issue is how we use the equipment. Sitting in the same position for hours, reaching repeatedly for a mouse, bending your neck towards a laptop or working with a screen affected by glare can all contribute to discomfort and fatigue.

Common complaints include aching backs, stiff necks, sore shoulders, tired eyes and discomfort in the hands or wrists. These problems might start as a minor annoyance but can become more serious if the underlying cause is ignored.

The good news is that many of these problems are preventable. A workstation does not necessarily need to cost thousands of pounds to be comfortable. Often, simply adjusting the chair, moving the screen, changing the position of the keyboard or taking more regular breaks can help.

UK health and safety guidance applies to employees who regularly use display screen equipment (DSE), including computers, laptops, tablets and similar devices. Employers need to assess the risks and take reasonable steps to reduce them. This can also apply when employees work from home or split their time between home and the workplace.

That said, not every suggestion in this article will be practical or suitable for every small business. A business operating from a spare bedroom, kitchen table or small home office may have far less space than a traditional office. The important thing is to identify the risks and make sensible improvements wherever you reasonably can.

Start With the Chair, Desk and Your Sitting Position

One of the easiest mistakes to make is to concentrate on the computer while forgetting about the person sitting in front of it. You can have an expensive monitor and the latest computer available, but if you spend eight hours sitting on an unsuitable chair with your neck bent forwards, you are unlikely to have a comfortable working day.

Start with your chair. If it has adjustable height, use it. You want to be able to sit comfortably with your back supported rather than leaning forwards towards the screen. Your knees should generally be around the same level as your hips, with your feet supported comfortably on the floor where possible.

Avoid sitting with your legs crossed for long periods. It might feel comfortable at first, but changing position regularly is a better habit than staying twisted or fixed in one position for hours.

Your desk should also give you enough room to work without constantly reaching, twisting or stretching. Put the things you use most often within easy reach. If you regularly use a telephone, notebook, calculator or paperwork, think about where it sits. Constantly reaching across your desk dozens of times a day is unnecessary strain that can easily be avoided.

The same principle applies to your keyboard and mouse. They should be close enough that you do not have to stretch your arms forwards. Ideally, your elbows should remain close to your body and your shoulders should feel relaxed rather than raised or hunched.

Your wrists should be reasonably straight while you type and use the mouse. You do not necessarily need to buy specialist equipment, but an inexpensive wrist rest can sometimes make a workstation more comfortable. The important thing is not to rely on accessories to fix a fundamentally poor setup.

If you use a laptop as your main computer, take particular care. Laptop screens are attached to their keyboards, which means raising the screen to a comfortable height can make the keyboard awkward to use. If you regularly work on a laptop for long periods, consider using a separate keyboard and mouse with the laptop raised on a suitable stand or firm surface. HSE guidance specifically recommends this approach where appropriate.

There is no single perfect sitting position that you should remain in all day. The best position is one you can change. Move occasionally, adjust your chair when necessary and avoid treating your workstation as somewhere you have to sit completely still for hours.

Get Your Screen, Lighting and Telephone Right

Once your chair and desk are reasonably comfortable, look at your screen. A surprisingly large amount of everyday discomfort can come from a monitor that is too low, too close, too far away or affected by reflections.

As a general starting point, position the screen so that you can read it comfortably without leaning forwards. The top of the screen should be around eye level, although the exact position will depend on your height, the size of the monitor and how you naturally sit. You should not have to spend the day looking down at your screen or stretching your neck upwards.

The distance between you and the screen also matters. There is no magic measurement that works for everyone, but the screen should be far enough away that you can read comfortably without leaning forwards. If you regularly find yourself moving your head closer to the screen, consider whether the text size or display settings need changing.

Glare is another common culprit. If sunlight comes through a window directly onto your screen, try changing the position of the desk, using blinds or curtains, or adjusting the angle of the monitor. Overhead lighting can also create reflections. Sometimes simply tilting the screen slightly makes a noticeable difference as can changing the lighting in the office, maybe by using a desk lamp.

Do not overlook your computer’s brightness and contrast settings either. A screen that is painfully bright in a darker office can make your eyes feel tired. Likewise, a very dim display in a brightly lit room can make reading unnecessarily difficult.

There is no curent evidence that ordinary DSE work causes permanent damage to eyesight, although having worked in IT and having used screens for neary 50 years I do wonder at times. However, long periods of screen work can contribute to tired eyes, discomfort and headaches, and computer use can make existing eyesight problems more noticeable. Employers must provide an eye test when a DSE user requests one, subject to the relevant rules, and must provide glasses specifically required for DSE work where necessary.

Finally, think about your telephone. If you spend a large part of the day on calls, a phone headset [affiliate link] can be much more comfortable than repeatedly holding a handset between your shoulder and ear. Do not cradle the telephone against your shoulder while typing or reading, as this can put unnecessary strain on your neck and shoulders.

Take Breaks and Change What You Are Doing

Perhaps the simplest computer health and safety improvement costs absolutely nothing: stop staring at the screen occasionally.

It is surprisingly easy to sit down at 9am, become absorbed in coding, reading and answering emails or a spreadsheet and suddenly realise that it is lunchtime and this is something that I suspect had happened to most, if not all, of my readers. Small business owners can be particularly guilty of this because there is always another job waiting. When you are trying to win new customers, deal with suppliers, answer emails and keep the accounts under control, taking a break can feel like wasted time.

It is not.

Regularly changing what you are doing gives your eyes, muscles and body a chance to recover from being in the same position. HSE guidance says employers should organise DSE work so that it is periodically interrupted by breaks or changes of activity that reduce the workload at the computer. It does not prescribe one universal break schedule because the right arrangement depends on the work being done.

That means a break does not necessarily have to mean sitting in the staff room for 20 minutes. If your job allows it, get up and make a drink (I have an alarm set for every 90 minutes to make a drink – even if I don’t need one it’s a reminder to take a break and stretch my legs), walk around the office, collect the post, speak to someone face-to-face or spend some time doing a task that does not involve a screen.  You could even make a fuss of your office cat, or dog, if you work from home and have one.

For example, if you have been working on a spreadsheet for an hour, you could spend the next part of your working day sorting paperwork or checking stock. If you work alone, even getting up to make a drink and walking around for a few minutes is better than remaining glued to the chair.

If your job genuinely requires long periods of concentrated screen work, deliberately build interruptions into the working routine. Shorter, more frequent changes of activity can be more useful than simply waiting for one long break at the end of the morning.

You can also make small movements while working. Roll your shoulders, change your sitting position, stretch your hands and arms and stand up when you have a natural opportunity. These simple habits can help prevent muscles becoming stiff after being held in one position for too long.

Do not ignore persistent pain, numbness or other symptoms just because you think they are an unavoidable part of office work. If discomfort keeps returning, look at the workstation and working routine rather than simply putting up with it.  Remember though that not all pain or numbness is down to office work, so if it continues talk to your GP.

Simple DSE Assessment Example

A DSE assessment sounds challenging but does not have to be complicated or full of technical jargon. For a small business, a straightforward checklist can be enough to identify obvious problems and record what needs changing.

For example:

A useful assessment should also record who carried it out, the date, what problems were identified and what action was agreed. You do not need to wait for an employee to develop an injury before making improvements. If something is obviously uncomfortable or awkward, deal with it when you find it.

The assessment should not be treated as a one-off piece of paperwork that gets filed away and forgotten. Workstations change, employees change and people may start working from home or using different equipment. It makes sense to review the assessment if there is a significant change in the way someone works or if they report a problem.

For a very small business, this could be as simple as spending 10 or 15 minutes with each employee and working through a checklist. The aim is not to create paperwork for its own sake; it is to spot practical problems and fix them.

For example, you might discover that an employee has been working comfortably for months but has recently started using a second monitor. The original workstation may have been fine, but the additional screen could mean that they are constantly turning their neck. Moving the monitors, changing which one is used most frequently or adjusting the desk layout could solve the problem.

Remember that a DSE assessment is only about  the computer itself. It should consider the workstation, the working environment and the way the work is organised. For home workers, you should also consider whether their working arrangements create obvious risks. However, some of the solutions available in a larger office may simply not be practical for a small home-based business, but on the flip side, some of the solutions in a home based business may not be suitable for a larger office, The important thing is to identify reasonable improvements rather than trying to recreate a corporate office in someone’s spare bedroom.

If an employee reports pain or discomfort, do not simply tell them to adjust their chair and carry on. Revisit the assessment, look at how they are working and consider whether further action or professional advice is appropriate.

A simple assessment like this can give a small business a useful starting point while also encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own workstation. It turns health and safety from a box-ticking exercise into something much more useful: making sure people can do their jobs comfortably and safely.

What Small Business Owners Need to Know About Their Responsibilities

If you employ people, computer health and safety is not simply a matter of telling everyone to sit up straight. Employers have responsibilities under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations when employees regularly use DSE as part of their work.

In practical terms, this means looking at the workstation, the equipment being used and the way the work is organised. You should identify obvious problems and take reasonable steps to reduce them. This can include making sure the chair and desk are suitable, the screen is positioned properly, employees know how to adjust their equipment and their working day includes appropriate breaks or changes of activity.

The rules can also apply to people working from home. Remote working does not automatically remove an employer’s health and safety responsibilities. Businesses should consider the equipment and working arrangements being used away from the main workplace and carry out appropriate assessments.

Eye tests are another area small businesses should understand. If an employee who regularly uses DSE asks for an eye test, the employer has a responsibility to arrange one. If the test shows that the employee needs glasses specifically for DSE work, the employer may also need to provide them. This is different from simply paying for an employee’s ordinary everyday glasses.

There has also been a relevant change from 6 April 2026. HMRC introduced exemptions covering certain employer reimbursements for eye tests and eligible home-working equipment, bringing the tax treatment more closely in line with equipment and tests provided directly by employers.

For a small business, this does not mean you need to turn your office into a specialist ergonomic workplace overnight. Start with the basics. Ask employees whether they are experiencing discomfort, check their workstation, make sensible adjustments and provide suitable information and training.

Remember that some of these measures may not be suitable for a small home-based business. If you are self-employed and work from a desk in your home, the legal position is different from that of an employer with staff. Even so, looking after your own health makes good business sense. An injured or uncomfortable business owner cannot work effectively, and a few inexpensive improvements may prevent a much bigger problem later.

Ultimately, good computer health and safety is mostly about common sense. Set up the workstation properly, avoid awkward positions, keep frequently used items within easy reach, reduce glare, take regular breaks and pay attention when something does not feel right. These are small changes, but over months and years of computer use, they can make a very big difference.