Working from home is now more common than ever over the last decade there has been a steady rise in the number of people who permanently work for their employer from their own home, rather than the office.
There are many reasons for the increasing popularity of this method of work. One is that workers can agree flexible hours with their employers to fit more conveniently around childcare and home life in general. Another reason is that by undertaking home working, employees can avoid the delays and subsequent stress caused by rush hour travel, no longer having to spend time travelling to and from work which can often be more profitably used working. Also, by working alone at home, many employees believe they are less prone to catching contagious ailments thereby needing less time off work during the year; and they also feel they experience less daily distractions by working alone. While many companies have embraced the introduction of home working, others are reluctant to enter into the process. One reason for this more cautious attitude is that they believe it may be difficult to protect and monitor the health and safety of home-based workers, as their legal duties in this regard still extend to employees working away from the workplace. Some employers believe that there will be more health and safety hazards in the home than there may be in the office but, in reality, there are only about as many, and they are mainly of the same nature as those found in the office – for example, the possibility of slips, trips and falls and work-related upper limb disorders will be present in both environments. Home working can be an efficient and profitable exercise for both employee and employer with the health and safety of the worker being easily and effectively managed by considering the following methods of monitoring: Before an employee embarks on home working, it is essential to carry out an assessment of their proposed working area to assess the employee’s new working space. This can be undertaken by a competent person within the company, who would visit the employee’s home to carry out the assessment. Alternatively, and the more likely option, is for the employee to carry out an annual self-assessment, following appropriate guidance with the Line Manager checking the form and discussing the results. Peninsula can provide a template ‘Home Working Viability Checklist’ to ensure that you cover the bases needed. It is important that the worker has an area in the home designated strictly to their work and where there are space constraints, a ‘foldaway’ desk with a slatted cover which can be pulled down and locked at the end of the working day could be provided. This will help to keep the equipment away from children and pets and help the worker further separate their working area from their leisure activities and home life. Several manufacturers offer “office in a box” workstations that would be suitable. The equipment used, i.e. chair, desk, keyboard etc. would be examined to ensure that, while it does not legally have to be of any particular ‘office-approved’ standard, it should all still be ergonomically sound for the particular worker. The use of ‘self-assessment’ questions to be answered by the employee, in written form, may be helpful in ensuring the workstation is right for them and will not present any physical hazards. The assessor should ensure the surrounding area is free from slip and trip hazards, and that any wires are taped down if they present a trip hazard. Laptops experience significant and prolonged use in home working, but they can present hazards beyond those associated with desktop computers. It is difficult to be prescriptive about this; many people prefer working on their laptops and are reluctant to have a large desktop computer permanently on display in the home. But research and official guidance suggests that it is not advisable to work all day on a laptop, as the size of the keyboard and the position of the screen in relation to the eyes are not as ideal as those associated with PC monitors. From an ergonomic perspective prolonged usage of a laptop is not advisable. Employers should, as a minimum, insist on separate keyboards, screens and mice. Remember also that home workers often bring their laptops into their employers’ premises and, if this is an absolute necessity, they should be carried in an inconspicuous bag that can be worn comfortably on the shoulder. The electrical components of a home worker’s house are sometimes an area of concern for many employers, as they are not subject to the same testing requirements as an office building, but this can be tackled easily during the home assessment by ensuring that plugs are correctly wired, cables are covered and undamaged, circuit breakers are fitted to multi-plug sockets etc. and requesting that work equipment is entirely switched off at the end of the working day. The home worker can be trained in carrying out a basic visual check on their electrical equipment, which can then be supplemented by a formal visual inspection by a competent person at the intervals required for different components. Lighting can also be looked at by the assessor and, if needed, extra or more suitable lighting could be placed in the area. After the initial assessment, the employee should be able to start work as soon as conditions have been deemed suitable by both the assessor and the employee. The employee can assess their home working area at yearly intervals after the initial one. With these measures in place, an employee’s health and safety during home working can be effectively monitored and the employer can be assured that the employee has adequate safety systems in their place of work.
Peninsula comment Employers should be aware that they have a duty to ensure the safety of their workers, whether they work from home or within their main office, and that by devoting the same level of health and safety assistance and assessment for both, they will achieve safe working environments for both groups. It should not be considered as a costly burden to support home working, as the only real extra outlay should be the travelling costs incurred to the home worker’s residence by the assessor. However, it should be noted that these travelling costs can easily be justified and offset by the savings achieved in not having to provide this worker with the office space, the welfare facilities, the lighting and the heating to complete their work tasks. Therefore, employers who successfully tackle home working and embrace the concept can often see a marked reduction in their overall operating costs, making good business sense.
