In brief
The Regulation on Health and Safety Measures for Work with Display Screen Equipment requires the employer to assess risks to eyesight, physical problems and mental stress, to plan periodic breaks or changes of activity, and to provide eye examinations. The regulation contains no break duration in minutes; the interval is set by the risk assessment and the workplace physician. Eye examinations are carried out before starting work, at intervals set by the physician, and when visual difficulties arise.
Who does the display screen equipment regulation cover?
An accountant preparing spreadsheets seven hours a day, a call centre agent working at a screen with a headset, or a technician writing CNC programs in production: what they all have in common is a screen. The Regulation on Health and Safety Measures for Work with Display Screen Equipment (Official Gazette of 16 April 2013, No. 28620) applies to all workplaces where display screen equipment is used and was prepared in parallel with European Union Directive 90/270/EEC.
The definitions in the regulation determine how it is applied:
- Display screen equipment: Any equipment that shows letters, numbers, shapes, graphics and images on its screen, regardless of the process used.
- Operator: A person whose main job is working with display screen equipment and who uses it for a significant part of their normal work. This is the person known in everyday language as the "display screen user".
- Workstation: The work area containing the chair, desk, software, monitor, keyboard, printer, telephone and related equipment.
The regulation does not apply to certain equipment: drivers' cabs or control cabs for machines or vehicles, computer systems on board vehicles, computer systems mainly intended for public use, portable systems not in prolonged use at a workstation, calculators and cash registers and other equipment with small displays, and typewriters with display screens. A supermarket cashier's till is therefore outside the scope of the regulation; but till ergonomics are still addressed in the risk assessment (OHS in supermarkets and shops). A laptop used every day as the main work tool, however, should not be treated as a system "not in prolonged use".
The employer's obligations article by article
| Article | Obligation | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 5/1 | Addressing display screen risks in the risk assessment, especially risks to eyesight, physical problems and mental stress | A separate section for the office: eye strain, neck-back-wrist strain, workload |
| Art. 5/2 | Not passing the cost of measures on to the employee | Chair, footrest, document holder and examination paid for by the employer |
| Art. 6 | Information and training before starting work and on significant changes | Posture, eye protection, rest and exercise topics |
| Art. 7 | Planning periodic breaks or changes of activity | A written break and task allocation plan |
| Art. 8 | Consulting employees for their views and suggestions | A channel for workstation complaints, a short survey |
| Art. 9 | Providing eye examinations and, if necessary, suitable aids for the work | An examination schedule planned by the physician |
| Annex 1 | Minimum requirements for equipment and environment | Workstation checklist |
The topics the regulation specifically lists for training are: display screen risks and ways of protection, correct posture, protecting the eyes, the fonts and colours that tire the eyes least, the habit of resting the eyes for short periods during work, resting the eyes and the musculoskeletal system, breaks and exercises.
Computer work breaks: how many minutes does the regulation say?
This is the question we hear most often on site, and the answer surprises most people: the regulation in force contains no break duration in minutes. Formulas such as "a 10-minute break every hour" do not appear in the text of the regulation. Art. 7 of the regulation says only this: to reduce the workload and impact arising from work with display screen equipment, the employer makes a suitable work plan so that operators take periodic breaks or work on other tasks in rotation. No daily upper limit is defined for time spent working at a screen either.
This does not mean the break plan is arbitrary; on the contrary, you have to set up the plan according to the nature of the work. Use these principles when planning:
- Short, frequent breaks are more effective than long, infrequent ones. Moving away from the screen regularly to let the eyes and muscles recover is more beneficial than one long break gathered at the end of the day.
- A break means moving away from the screen. Looking at a phone at the desk does not count as a break for the eyes and neck.
- Rotation is also an option. Filing, meetings, site visits or telephone work are natural ways of breaking up the screen load.
- Look at the pace of the work. A designer who can set their own pace has different needs from an agent to whom the system routes calls; in the second case, breaks must be planned.
| Work pattern | Risk | Example practice |
|---|---|---|
| Call centre | The system sets the pace; constant screen and headset | Fixed short breaks in the shift plan, rotation to non-call tasks |
| Accounting and data entry | Intensive keyboard use and spreadsheets with small characters | Extra short breaks during period-end peaks, large screen and document holder |
| Design and engineering | Long periods of concentration, mouse use | Eye-rest habit with reminders, adjustable workstation |
Long, uninterrupted screen work can also become a psychosocial risk when combined with workload and lack of control; we explained how to measure this dimension in our article on psychosocial risk factors.
Eye examinations for display screen users
Art. 9 of the regulation requires eye examinations in three situations:
- Before starting work with display screen equipment,
- At regular intervals to be set by the workplace physician according to the results of the risk assessment,
- When visual difficulties arise that may result from work with display screen equipment.
Depending on the results of the examination, the employee is provided with aids suitable for their work where necessary; under Art. 5/2 the cost of these measures cannot be passed on to the employee. The eye examination interval can be considered separately from the general periodic examination: in a less hazardous office, the periodic examination is carried out at least every 5 years, but the physician may plan eye examinations more often for employees with heavy screen use. For general examination frequencies, see our article on periodic examinations and tests.
Workstation requirements: the Annex 1 checklist
Annex 1 lists the minimum requirements in clear terms, without giving figures. Prepare your workstation checklist with these items:
- Monitor: At a suitable distance for the working position and at eye level; characters legible and the image free of flicker; brightness and contrast easily adjustable; the screen able to swivel and tilt; no reflections or glare.
- Keyboard: Separate from the screen and movable; space in front for wrist support; a matt surface and legible key symbols.
- Desk: A low-reflectance surface large enough for the screen, keyboard and documents; an adjustable document holder where needed.
- Chair: Stable; adjustable seat height; backrest adjustable forwards-backwards and up-down, suitable for the lower back; a footrest on request.
- Environment: Enough space to change position; lighting suitable for the work; horizontally and vertically adjustable blinds for daylight; a noise level that does not distract; equipment that does not give off uncomfortable heat; suitable humidity.
- Software: Programs suited to the task, easy to use and giving feedback to the user.
We will cover how to adjust the chair, desk and screen step by step in a separate article on office ergonomics.
Practical example: a 25-person accounting office
Consider an accounting office with 25 employees in Nilüfer. Accounting activities (69.20.02) are in the less hazardous class. Since the minimum monthly time per employee in less hazardous workplaces is 5 minutes for the physician and 10 minutes for the specialist, in this office the physician is appointed for at least 125 minutes and the specialist for at least 250 minutes a month. Part of this time can be allocated to display screen work as follows:
- Inventory: Each employee's workstation, number of screens and laptop use are listed.
- Workstation check: The specialist checks every desk with the Annex 1 form; findings such as a chair that cannot be adjusted or a screen facing a window are recorded.
- Employee views: A short form asks about eye strain and neck, back and wrist complaints.
- Eye examination plan: The physician sets a pre-employment examination for new starters and an interval for the others based on the risk assessment.
- Break and work plan: A written break and rotation plan is made, including period-end peaks.
- Training and records: The topics in Art. 6 are added to the training, and findings are entered into the risk assessment as actions.
For your own times, use the OHS obligation calculator, and for the basis of the times, our article on working times for the physician and specialist. After the Constitutional Court decision, less hazardous offices with fewer than 50 employees are also covered by these obligations; for a summary, see the guide to obligations of less hazardous workplaces.
In office and retail businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, we carry out workstation assessments as part of the risk assessment and eye examination planning as part of the workplace physician service. We apply the same steps for offices in Nilüfer, as in the example, and in Bursa's other districts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many minutes of break are required for work with display screen equipment?
The regulation does not give a duration in minutes. The employer is obliged to make a work plan that includes periodic breaks or changes of activity. Set the frequency and length of breaks according to the pace of the work, together with the risk assessment and the workplace physician.
How often are eye examinations carried out for display screen users?
Before starting work with display screen equipment, at regular intervals set by the workplace physician based on the risk assessment, and when visual difficulties arise. The regulation does not give a fixed number of years.
Are laptops covered by the regulation?
Portable systems not in prolonged use at a workstation are excluded. However, if a laptop is the main work tool every day, it should be treated as display screen equipment, and the Annex 1 requirements should be met with measures such as a separate screen, keyboard and mouse.
Does the employer pay for glasses after an eye examination?
The regulation does not explicitly mention glasses. It states that, depending on the examination result, the employee is provided with aids suitable for their work where necessary, and that the cost of measures under the regulation cannot be passed on to the employee. Cases where the physician considers an aid specific to screen work necessary are assessed within this framework.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.