Skip to content

Display Screen Equipment Regulation to take effect on July 4

The Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation (Commencement) Notice 2003 (Commencement Notice) gazetted today (May 9) announces the commencement of operation of the Regulation on 4 July 2003. This will further enhance the occupational safety and health of employees who use display screen equipment at work for prolonged periods of time.

The Regulation is targeted at those employees using display screen equipment almost every day, and continuously for at lease four hours during a day or cumulatively for at lease six hours during a day.

The Regulation requires that the person responsible for the workplace shall perform a risk assessment of existing workstations within 14 days after the commencement date. For new workstations, the risk assessments shall be conducted before they are first used by users.

"The responsible person shall review the assessment if there has been a significant change in the conditions of the previous assessment or in the workstation," a spokesman for the department said.

"They shall take steps to reduce any risk identified in a risk assessment to the lowest extent as is reasonably practicable," he noted.

The Regulation stipulates that, so far as reasonably practicable, the responsible person shall:

  • keep a record of all risk assessments;
  • retain that record for a period of at least two years after the workstation ceases to be used by any user;
  • make available to users a copy of the risk assessment record and the record of actions taken after the assessment;
  • ensure that a user employed by him is provided with necessary safety and health training in the use of workstations.

"An employer shall produce the record for inspection upon request of our Occupational Safety Officers, " the spokesman said.

"A user of a workstation in a workplace shall, so far as reasonably practicable, conform to the system of work and work practice; and comply with the risk reduction measures," he added.

Non-compliance with the Regulation entails a maximum fine of $50,000 for responsible persons or employers, and in the case of users, a maximum fine of $10,000.

The Labour Department has carried out intensive promotion to publicise the new requirements.

The Commencement Notice will be presented to the Legislative Council on May 14 for negative vetting.

A Brief on the Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation, a Health Guide and a draft Code of Practice can be downloaded from the department's homepage. Further information can be obtained at the department's Occupational Health Service at 2852 4041.