One of the ways data-driven DSE programmes help organisations take a proactive risk management stance is by flagging high risk employees, signalling that intervention is required. But sometimes, more subtle data patterns suggest an employee may need support before they reach the high risk category.

Here, we discuss these not-so-obvious DSE data trends, helping you to intervene early and prevent current issues turning into long-term problems.

1. Incomplete or minimal self-assessments

If employee self-assessments are part of your DSE programme, you can glean a lot from the way they are completed, or, as the case may be, not completed at all.

Some self-assessments may appear on the surface to be properly filled out, but upon comparing against previous assessments, could show that the employee isn’t engaging with them in a meaningful way.

Answers may appear copied and pasted across assessments, or expressed with progressively less thought and care. If this is the case, you’ll likely also notice that assessments are completed unusually quickly, but a 15-20 minute assessment completed in 5 minutes will not contain useful or reliable data.

From a compliance perspective, all looks in order, but this is just one of many scenarios in which compliance doesn’t equal safety.

These patterns suggest that an employee may benefit from follow-up, guidance, or additional support to ensure they are comfortable and able to manage workstation risks effectively.

Regularly failing to complete assessments points to a deeper lack of engagement or capacity, signalling that an intervention, whether a check-in, training, or workload review, may be valuable.

2. Repeated ‘no issues’ reported despite known role risk

In some cases, DSE data may show employees consistently reporting no issues despite working in roles that are widely recognised as higher risk for musculoskeletal strain or discomfort.

For example, employees who spend long hours at a workstation, perform repetitive tasks, or work in less controlled environments may reasonably be expected to report at least occasional discomfort over time. When self-assessments repeatedly indicate no issues at all, this can warrant closer attention.

This pattern does not necessarily mean the data is inaccurate or that there’s definitely a problem. But it can highlight a “push through pain culture”. If the data shows zero discomfort over three years in a high-demand role, a proactive check-in can uncover issues before they become chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

3. Symptoms reported without follow-through

If an employee has reported discomfort through the proper channels in your DSE programme, but has made no indication of wanting to progress the investigation and find a solution, it could well mean that they have resolved the problem themselves.

In fact, through targeted eLearning, our DSE risk management software, encourages workers to be proactive and take accountability over DSE hazards where possible, leading to a major reduction of DSE risk without major intervention from management teams.

However, a lack of follow-through can also suggest the employee is pushing through increasingly severe pain and doesn’t feel able, either due to time constraint or another factor, to engage in what they perceive as an additional process.

4. Consistent medium-risk scores

In some organisations, DSE data may reveal a recurring pattern where the same employees consistently fall into a medium-risk category without ever tipping into high-risk territory.

This can present itself as low-level issues reported across multiple body areas, or a gradual increase in risk over time that never quite reaches the threshold for urgent intervention.

At first glance, this may not appear concerning, but repeated medium-risk scores suggest issues could be accumulating. Intervening early, through adjustments, training, or check-ins, can prevent these small problems from becoming significant.

5. Unorthodox assessment submission timing

The timing of DSE assessment completion can also be telling. Patterns such as assessments being completed late at night, only after multiple reminders, or rushed through just before a deadline or audit may indicate competing demands and workload pressures.

6. Manager behaviour in the data

Bottlenecks in follow-up and sign-off, such as requested adjustments that aren’t actioned, delayed acknowledgement, or teams consistently lagging, are often visible in DSE systems.

These patterns indicate that interventions may need to occur not just at the individual level, but also at a managerial or process level. It signals a breakdown in your safety culture. When employees see that their flagged issues sit in a digital tray unread, they stop reporting accurately, while risks grow, invisible to the organisation.

Reading between the lines of DSE data

By looking beyond individual assessment scores, DSE data can reveal subtle signals where employees may need support.

Featuring a unified management hub that centralises data and simplifies organisation-wide comms, Healthy Working, our DSE risk management software is designed to give organisations visibility into these patterns and enable timely, targeted interventions. Request a free trial of Healthy Working to see our solution in action.