Remote DSE workstation assessment
Remote DSE workstation assessments for home and hybrid workers
A 30-minute video assessment of your employee's workstation, with a short written report and practical recommendations you can act on. £125 fixed fee, no contract, anywhere in the UK.
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- Approved assessors
- Independent & impartial
- GDPR-compliant
- UK-wide
- Follows HSE DSE guidance
What is a remote DSE workstation assessment?
A routine check of how someone works at a computer: their desk, chair, screen, laptop, keyboard and mouse, the lighting, their posture and their breaks. The assessor looks at the set-up over a video call, identifies the ergonomic risks, and recommends practical changes and equipment.
Employers must assess display screen equipment risks for staff who use screens as a significant part of their job, including when they work from home. This assessment follows the Health and Safety Executive's DSE guidance and gives you a written record of what was found and what to do.
Home workstations are easy to get wrong
A laptop on a dining table, a kitchen chair and a screen that sits too low is a common home set-up, and over months it shows up as stiffness, discomfort and tiredness. Most of the fixes are simple and cheap, once someone has looked properly.
A self-assessment checklist often misses what an assessor would spot in minutes. A short remote assessment gets an accurate picture and recommendations specific to the person and their space.
This often looks like:
- Staff work from home all or part of the week
- You have no record of DSE assessments for home workers
- An employee has asked for equipment or a better set-up
- Someone works at a laptop all day without a separate screen or keyboard
- A new starter or a change to hybrid working
- You want a consistent, documented approach across your team
How Return Well helps
A practical workstation check you can act on
£125, fixed
One price per assessment. No VAT, no contract and no retainer.
30 minutes, by video
In the browser, with no download. The employee shows their set-up by moving their camera.
Practical recommendations
Equipment and changes to the set-up, in plain language, with an action plan saying who does what.
Approved assessors
Every assessor is from Return Well's network and approved by us specifically for DSE assessments.
How it works
- 1. You book. Tell us about the employee and how they work. £125, with no account set-up or contract needed.
- 2. A short questionnaire. Your employee answers about five minutes of questions on their desk, chair, screen and working habits. It asks nothing about their health.
- 3. A 30-minute video call. The assessor looks at the workstation with your employee, checks posture and positioning, and talks through what would help.
- 4. The written report. Checked by Return Well, then sent to you, with your employee getting their own copy at the same time.
What the report covers
A concise report you can file as your DSE assessment record.
- The workstation: desk and working surface, chair and seating, screen and monitor, keyboard and mouse, lighting and environment
- Working posture and practices, and breaks and changes of activity
- A clear summary of the risks identified
- Practical recommendations, including any equipment
- An action plan: each issue, the recommended action, its priority, who is responsible and when to review it
- The overall outcome and anything still outstanding
The report is about the workstation. It contains no medical diagnosis and no opinion on fitness for work.
Not a clinical assessment
This is a routine ergonomic assessment. If an employee has a health condition affecting their work, is off sick, or needs advice on adjustments for their health, our Workplace Wellbeing Assessment (from £425) and other clinical assessments are the right choice.
If a DSE assessment shows that a specialist assessment may help, the report says so, and we can advise on the options.
Your employee's information
Before the questionnaire, your employee reads how their information is used. Their questionnaire answers stay with the assessor and Return Well, and are not sent to you.
If a health matter comes up in the call, it stays confidential to the assessor and Return Well and is not put in the report unless your employee explicitly agrees. Return Well reviews any report that needs it before release.
Example
A hybrid analyst, a dining table and a laptop
An employee working from home two days a week used a laptop on a dining table with a kitchen chair. The assessment found the screen well below eye level, wrists resting on the table edge and afternoon glare from a window. It recommended a laptop stand with a separate keyboard and mouse, an adjustable chair, moving the desk away from the window and hourly screen breaks, with the employer and employee each given clear actions.
Illustrative example: every assessment is tailored to the individual case.
FAQ
Common questions
Is a remote DSE assessment enough?
For most home and hybrid workstations, yes. The assessor can see the set-up, posture and positioning on camera and ask about how the employee works. It doesn't involve physical measurement, and the report says so in its limitations.
What does the employee need?
A device with a camera, ideally one they can move to show their desk and chair, and about 30 minutes. The call runs in the browser with nothing to install.
Is it a medical or occupational health assessment?
No. It is a routine ergonomic assessment of the workstation. It does not diagnose anything or decide whether someone is fit for work. For health-related questions, see our clinical assessments.
Will we see the employee's questionnaire?
No. You receive the report. The questionnaire helps the assessor prepare and stays with them and Return Well.
Do we need a contract?
No. Each assessment is £125. There is no subscription, retainer or minimum number of assessments.
Do our discount codes or account rates apply?
Only where one has been set up specifically for DSE assessments. Otherwise the fixed fee applies.
Ready to get started?
Tell us about your employee and we'll arrange the assessment with an approved assessor. No subscription, no commitment. Pay per assessment.
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