Technologies that make remote work seamless existed before the global pandemic, but…
…because many employers believed that remote working arrangements resulted in less productive and innovative workers, these arrangements were far less utilized before 2020.
However, out of necessity, remote work and the technologies that support it defined the pandemic years and revolutionized the working world.
This normalization of remote work and hybrid arrangements has transformed work culture, but it does come with a set of employer responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is to understand how to conduct a remote working risk assessment. Let’s look into what work from home risks exist and how to implement a process to manage a consistent work from home risk assessment.
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ToggleYour responsibilities for the welfare of remote workers falls under the same health, safety, and environment (HSE) guidelines as it does for workers located on company premises.
The procedures for conducting a home working risk assessment differs, however, then an in-office assessment. This is true because some remote work risks differ from in-office risks. Recognizing and managing those risks differs too.
To fulfill your HSE responsibilities, your work from home risk assessment checklist should include the following:
If these are your responsibilities to home workers, what types of HSE risks are you looking to identify in a remote working risk assessment?
The first step to ensuring the health and safety of remote workers is to conduct a remote working risk assessment that is designed to make it easy to comply with HSE rules and regulations. This can be difficult because you may not be able to visit an employee’s home to conduct one. To carry out a risk assessment, work from home employees may need to be trained to do it themselves. They can also send pictures of their workspace. It is the workers responsibility to keep the home work environment safe after the assessment is completed. It is the employers responsibility to periodically review the assessment if there is reason to believe risks may have changed. This may occur if the employee takes on a new role, new equipment is introduced, or the employee’s responsibilities shift resulting in longer screen time. Keeping track of regular assessments and follow-up reports is also important.
You may find a home risk assessment example that includes questions about the employee’s mental and physical health, the safety of their work setup, or their work environment, but several HSE standards need to be taken into consideration when conducting a remote working risk assessment. These standards include detailed assessments of:
Details covering these categories are important in a working from home risk assessment. HSE guidelines are designed to protect workers and none of these assessment categories should be ignored. Using a comprehensive template can help you remain consistent in managing your remote working risk assessment on a regular basis.
An HSE working from home risk assessment template can be created to include:
After conducting a remote working risk assessment, it is important to support employees in solving any identified risks.
Remote work technology and the changes in work culture brought about by the global pandemic have made work from home arrangements a permanent fixture in businesses across the world. Conducting a remote working risk assessment for remote employees needs to be permanent fixtures for companies and managers too. The welfare of employees depends on ensuring their health, safety, and working environment through this important process.