Don’t forget safety of home workers, says expert

Employers should not forget best practice when it comes to working from home for health and safety reasons of their employees during the current crisis, says a leading health and safety specialist.

Chris Walker, head of health and safety at regional law firm Napthens, said: “Many of the health and safety processes implemented in the workplace should still apply.

“For those employees working from home, employers should consider if workers can carry out their work activities safely and ensure that there are suitable control measures in place to protect them from any significant hazards that have been identified.

“Employers should also regularly review the arrangements that have been put in place to ensure they remain suitable. This can be done by speaking to your employee over the telephone and by reviewing completed checklists. Any issues that are raised should be corrected and a record of the discussion kept on file.”

He added that employers should advise employees to set up a designated work area for home working, such as a desk or home office, and to make sure electrical equipment is checked before it is issued to ensure it is safe.

He added: “Managers and supervisors should be able to contact home workers at all times during their working hours and accident procedures should still be in place.

“Also ensure home workers have suitable communication devices and that home work stations are free from trip hazards from trailing cables. Home workers should also be instructed to carry out visual checks and report defects to management.”