Fact · Accessibility and health
5 to 10minutes every hour
The UK Health and Safety Executive advises computer users to take short breaks often rather than longer ones less often, for example 5 to 10 minutes every hour rather than 20 minutes every 2 hours.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Take short breaks often, rather than longer ones less often. For example 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours.”
Working safely with display screen equipment: Work routine and breaks, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2025, 4. Work routine and breaks.
Open the original- What it measures
- The page says the law requires employers to plan work so that display screen equipment users have breaks or changes of activity, and that there is no legal guidance on how long or how often breaks should be.
- What it does not show
- Guidance, not a measured outcome. The timings are an example and depend on the kind of work.
Source
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