Computer workstation ergonomics - requirements and a checklist for employers

An expensive chair and the latest laptop are not enough to make a computer workstation genuinely ergonomic - not when an employee leans over the screen all day, has nowhere to rest their forearms, and breaks exist only in the staff handbook. A poorly adjusted screen workstation quietly costs the employer both productivity and health: eye strain, neck and back pain, and, in the long run, time off work. Before you order more equipment, check how people actually work at their desks.

For most employers the problem is not a lack of equipment but a lack of fit: one chair serves people of different heights, the monitor stands off to the side, and a laptop substitutes for a fully equipped station. Workplace ergonomics means adapting the equipment and the organisation of work to the person - not expecting the person to adapt to an uncomfortable desk. Polish law backs this up with specific requirements: the regulation of 1 December 1998 on occupational health and safety at workstations equipped with screen monitors (consolidated text: Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58) applies to every workstation where the employee uses a screen monitor for at least half of their daily working time (§ 2(4)). Below, we separate the duties that follow from the regulation from practical advice born of routine workstation reviews.

When the workstation requirements apply

The regulation covers a person employed by the employer - including a trainee or apprentice - who uses a screen monitor for at least half of their daily working time (§ 2(4), Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58). Half does not always mean four hours: for a person with an eight-hour day it does, but with a different daily working-time dimension the threshold has to be set accordingly. The point is to establish how many hours of the working day a given person actually spends in front of the screen - that single figure determines whether the strict requirements apply.

The regulation also contains exclusions, among others for driver cabs, on-board computer systems in means of transport and devices with small screens, such as cash registers (§ 3 of the regulation). You should not automatically apply office workstation rules to every device that happens to have a display.

A laptop is not a blanket exception. The exclusion covers portable systems not intended for use at a given workstation for at least half of the daily working time (§ 3(4)). If a laptop is meant to be the main tool for long desk work, its station has to meet the requirements described in the annex. As of 2026 this is not a future task or transition period: the 2023 amendment changes covering laptops, chairs and contact lenses entered into force on 17 November 2023, and the deadline for adjusting existing workstations expired on 17 May 2024 (§§ 2 and 3 of the amendment, Dz.U. 2023 poz. 2367; dates confirmed by PIP).

How to set up the monitor, laptop, keyboard and desk

Start from the place where the employee actually sits during normal work. The upper edge of the monitor should be at the user's eye height, and the layout of the equipment must not force uncomfortable movements of the head and neck. The monitor should also be positioned relative to light sources so that glare and reflections are reduced (annex, pts 2.2-2.3, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58).

In practice, check the screen setup after adjusting the chair, not before. If an employee constantly turns their head towards a monitor standing in the corner, move the screen towards their main working area. This is an organisational tip that helps satisfy the requirement on forced postures - the regulation does not prescribe one identical position for every monitor.

For a portable system intended for regular work at the workstation, the requirements are stricter still: a separate desktop monitor or a stand that raises the upper edge of the screen to eye height, plus an external keyboard and mouse (annex, pt 1.2, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58). A stand alone is not enough if the employee keeps typing on the raised laptop keyboard - the arms end up angled upward and the wrists rest on the notebook's edge. Where budget is tight, the external keyboard and mouse are the cheapest possible fix: they often help more than a new chair.

Chair, footrest and lighting: the equipment has to work in practice

The chair must have a stable base of at least five castors, a profiled seat and backrest, rotation through 360 degrees and adjustable armrests; required height adjustments cover the seat, the backrest's lumbar section and the recline of the backrest (annex, pt 5.1). The seat-height and back-recline controls must be easy to reach, simple to operate and adjustable in a seated position (pt 5.2).

A chair with the right specification solves nothing if a mechanism is broken or the employee does not know where the levers are. During a walkthrough, demonstrate the adjustment and ask the person to try it at their desk.

A footrest is provided at the employee's request (pt 7 of the annex). The current wording does not make this duty conditional on whether the feet reach the floor. A document holder is likewise provided on request where the work requires using documents; it should allow adjustment of height, tilt and distance (pt 6).

Lighting has to make visual work comfortable. It must reduce glare from fittings and windows as well as reflections in the monitor; an additional lamp is permissible as long as it does not cause glare (pts 9.1-9.2). A practical test: look at the screen at different times of day, because a desk comfortable in the morning can sit in harsh light by afternoon. The mere ability to dim the monitor does not substitute for sorting out the light sources around the desk.

Ergonomics is also breaks and a workstation assessment

The employer has two options. The first is alternately combining screen work with other work that does not burden the eyes and is performed in other body positions, without exceeding one hour of continuous screen use at a time. The second is a break of at least five minutes, counted into working time, after each hour of screen use (§ 7, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58). Not every change of task satisfies the first variant: switching from a spreadsheet to email still means screen work. When organising work, verify the actual change in eye and postural load; the break variant does not mean a bank of minutes to use at the end of the day.

The regulation requires an assessment of working conditions: the organisation and condition of equipment, strain on the eyes and on the musculoskeletal system, physical agents and the mental load arising from how work is organised (§ 5). An assessment is carried out in particular for new workstations and after any change in their organisation or equipment. Findings then have to be acted on - hazards and discomforts are to be eliminated - and the employee should be informed of, among other things, the results of the assessment and measures for health protection (§ 6(1)).

A separate duty concerns corrective lenses. If ophthalmological examinations under preventive healthcare establish a need to use corrective lenses at the screen, the employer provides glasses or contact lenses in line with the doctor's recommendation (§ 8(2)). The regulation does not set a single all-Poland reimbursement amount, so bring back receipts or a reimbursement scheme with the actual conditions in the regulation rather than with a private prescription alone.

Responsibility split inside the company is covered in more detail in our article on employer and employee OHS duties. Here the essential step is to translate the requirements onto a specific workstation and the way it is actually used during the day.

A checklist for reviewing a computer workstation

Do not start by ordering identical chairs for the whole team. First walk through the workstation together with the person who uses it, because the equipment has to fit the individual, not the average. The steps below are a suggested structure for the review, not an official protocol.

1. Establish how and how long the screen is used. Record the daily working time, the role of the laptop and typical tasks; determine whether the workstation falls under the regulation's requirements.
2. Fit the equipment to the employee. Check the chair adjustments, screen height, forearm support, separate keyboard and mouse, and legroom under the desk.
3. Look at the surroundings. Check lighting, reflections, desk access and the reach of frequently used items; ask whether a footrest or document holder is needed.
4. Check how work is organised. Establish how alternation between screen and non-screen tasks works in practice, or whether the hourly five-minute break is genuinely taken; discuss the discomforts people have noticed instead of relying on the handbook alone.
5. Record actions and follow up. For every issue found, assign an owner and a deadline; after the changes, re-assess the conditions and inform employees of the results.

A useful review note states the workstation, date, the issue found, the planned action, the responsible person and the check date. Such a record helps close out repairs and shows the assessment duty under § 5 was dealt with in practice. At the end, check that the employee can reproduce the setup on their own after a change of desk or user: an ergonomic workstation is not a one-time decoration, and the adjustments must stay accessible during ordinary working days.

Summary

• Requirements apply to a screen workstation used at least half of the daily working time; a laptop intended as regular desk equipment needs a stand or external monitor plus an external keyboard and mouse.
• Breaks, lighting and footrests follow specific standards: the five-minute paid break per hour of screen work, a footrest on request, glare and reflection control - each with a concrete anchor in the regulation.
• A 2026 review means: walk the workstation with the user, compare against the current annex (no invented distances and fixed heights), and close the loop with a documented assessment and follow-up on the findings.

If you want to arrange the computer workstations in your company properly, Lenax offers OHS outsourcing as well as initial and periodic training - we will help you review the conditions at screen workstations and organise the actions that follow. See our OHS outsourcing and contact us to talk about your company.

FAQ - computer workstation ergonomics

Is a laptop alone enough for daily desk work? No, where a portable system is intended for use at a given workstation for at least half of the daily working time. In such a case a desktop monitor or a stand setting the screen at eye height is required, plus a separate keyboard and mouse (annex, pt 1.2, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58).

Does the five-minute break count into working time? Yes. § 7 of the regulation (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58) provides for a break of at least five minutes, counted into working time, after each hour of screen use. The alternative is suitably organised alternating work as described in § 7, not another task still done at the screen.

Is a footrest mandatory at every workstation? The current annex requires that workstations be equipped with a footrest at the employee's request (pt 7, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58). It does not mean buying one for everyone, but once a request is made, its fulfilment cannot be made conditional on the employee's height.

Do the regulations specify the exact monitor-to-eye distance? The current annex does not set a single distance in centimetres. Among other things it requires the top edge of the monitor at eye height and a layout of equipment that does not force uncomfortable movements of the head and neck (annex, pt 2.2, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58). The older rule of a 60-80 cm view distance has been removed from the current text.

Does the employer also cover contact lenses? Yes, where the conditions of § 8(2) are met: ophthalmological examinations under preventive healthcare show the need to use them at the screen, and the lenses follow the doctor's recommendation. The regulation covers both glasses and contact lenses, and it includes the eye examination in the preventive care scheme.

Sources

• Regulation on OHS at workstations equipped with screen monitors - consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 58 (ELI)
• Amendment to the regulation, Dz.U. 2023 poz. 2367 (ELI)
• PIP - new regulations for workstations equipped with screen monitors

Legal status: October 2026. This article is for information purposes only. Selecting solutions requires taking account of the actual conditions and tasks at the given workstation.