The last two years have presented us all with a different world. Our lives have been changed and many of us carry out our daily routines in a completely different way.
A large percentage of us have been working at home, or we have employees who are working from home. Indeed, a large number of people have chosen to continue working from home, even after lockdowns are finally over.
This means that in many cases, our homes have become our workplaces. Which presents us with some new challenges, that will become more evident in time.
How to make your home workplace a safer environment
Quite apart from the physical and mental stresses of working alone, home schooling children, lack of communication, and lack of exercise etc., there are also dangers in the home office that are not as regulated as they are in the workplace.
These include how many of us have cables running along the ground, boxes from those home deliveries we’ve all received littering the walkway (along with the kids’ toys), desks squashed into a hallway, chairs that are not quite high or supportive enough, the renovation going on in the room next door (someone else’s COVID project?)… you can finish the list yourself!
There is help online from safety bodies such as comcare.gov.au, who provide a ‘Working from Home Checklist’. This can help make you more aware of the hazards you might not have even thought about.
If you’re an employer, have you considered whether your employees are using ergonomic seating, do they communicate regularly, and have you provided them with recently tested and tagged equipment?
All of these things, and those shown on the checklist, will prevent employee injuries and WorkCover claims as well as ensuring your compliance with Workplace Health and Safety regulations.
Hopefully, when the lockdowns are finished, we will all be back into a routine, whether it be a new one working at home – or back in the office with colleagues.
If you’re an employee, perform your own risk assessment and let the boss know if you need anything.
And if you need help with the equipment you or your employees are using, we can test it for you to ensure it is safe before you send it to them, or before they come back into the office.
