Controlling the pyjama ergonomic hazards
While you probably have little ability to stop your home-based employees from working in their pyjamas, you do still have obligations when it comes to their health and safety.
Since mid 2020, on again, off again lockdowns and the ongoing threat of COVID-19 has meant that working from home has become somewhat of a normality for many workers who were usually office-based. In fact, a study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducted in February 2021, found that the number of Australians working from home at least once a week had nearly doubled from the previous year, going from 24 – 41%[1].
There have been some real positives seen with this shift to the home working space. The flexibility of working hours and decreased commute times has led to an increase in productivity and a better work-life balance for many individuals. However, these new working conditions have posed some challenges for employers in terms of their legal responsibilities and ensuring the health and safety of their employees.
What are my obligations when employees work from home?
Under the Australian model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws, as an employer, you have a duty to ensure the health and safety of your workers, even if they are working from home[2]. If you are an employer, this has probably left you scratching your head, like many others, wondering how you can keep your staff safe in an unmanaged environment.
Managing WHS risks and potential hazards within the office environment is relatively simple. However, when your employees are working from home or remotely, there are many more factors that need to be considered, including (but not limited to) their workstation setup, work practices and surrounding working environment.
Managing the WHS risks of your home-based workers
Unfortunately, not everyone is going to have a lavish, ergonomically friendly home office setup with an adjustable chair and sit stand desk. So, how can you fulfil your legal obligation to “take all reasonable steps to ensure their workstations are correctly setup to reduce potential musculoskeletal injuries”[2]?
To minimise the risk of musculoskeletal injuries occurring from a poor workstation setup,
Safe Work Australia recommends that you should:
- provide guidance on what is a safe home office environment is
- make sure workers familiarise themselves and comply with good ergonomic practices
- provide a health and safety checklist for working from home for workers to use
- consider organising a workstation assessment, and
- have ongoing discussion with your workers regarding their workstation setup.
The Healthy Business Workstation Wellbeing program is a great low-cost solution to help you ensure that your home-based workers have the correct workstation setup. The program will provide your employees with a comprehensive online ergonomic assessment, educational resources, and individualised support to identify and mitigate any areas of concern with their workstation ergonomics.
Fulfil your legal obligation and keep your employees safe from injury from just $15 per person.
References:
1. https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/year-covid-19-and-australians-work-home-more
2. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19-information-workplaces/industry-information/general-industry-information/working-home
