Like any office space, a home office needs to be safe

Are you one of the many Canadian employers that transitioned to work from home during the pandemic? Maybe you were doing it before it was cool!

Either way, it’s clear that work from home is here to stay. But your obligation to provide a safe work environment doesn’t dissolve just because your employees are working at home.  

Safety Basics

​Like any office space, a home office needs to be safe. Think about your workplace office spaces – what wouldn’t fly there that might happen at home? While it’s true you have a little less control over an employee’s home environment, it is a workspace. To ensure that your employees’ workspaces are safe, provide them with a checklist of home office safety items and have them complete the checklist. If they don’t have what they need to make their home workspace safe, provide support or supplies. Keep completed and signed checklists on file for the tenure of an employee’s work from home period to support due diligence in case of injury, accident, or claim.  

FREE Downloadable Home Office Safety Checklist

If everyone works at home, are workplace inspections still necessary?
The short answer is yes. 

Ergonomics

Working from home has perks, and one of them is that employees don’t need to get out of bed as early to commute to the office. However, they do need to get out of bed! Ergonomics is a key safety consideration and working from bed or the couch all day is a sure way to develop a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD). Likewise, using improper chairs, such as beanbag chairs, Grandma’s antique wooden rocker, or a recliner creates a huge risk for MSDs. 

Ergonomic Safety Considerations

1. What are employees sitting on? Is it an ergonomic chair?
2. Does the desk meet height and width requirements?
3. Is the keyboard positioned correctly for the employee?
4. Is the mouse within a comfortable reaching distance?
5. Can employees keep their posture as relaxed and natural as possible at their workstations?
6. Are any footrests, keyboard supports, or document holders needed?
7. Is the office set up according to ergonomic best practices?
8. Does the employee have a poster with ergonomic set-up tips posted in the home office space? 

Workspace

​When we get into work from home logistics and where in the home that work happens, workspace becomes a concern. For example, some workers may have a dedicated office space with lots of natural light, others may be using a common or shared space such as the dining room, and others may have to relegate themselves to cramped, windowless quarters. All homes are different, and all family dynamics are unique, so it makes sense that everyone’s work from home setup is going to be a bit different

Workspace Safety Considerations

1. Are the noise levels acceptable?
2. Does the employee have a designated work area?
3. Is the lighting appropriate to the task?
4. Is equipment set up to reduce twisting, reaching, bending, etc.?
5. Is there proper ventilation and appropriate temperature control?
6. Does the employee feel safe?

Learn more about Ergonomic Safety

General Safety

Home safety items such as working fire alarms, clear paths to exits, and doors that lock are all applicable to the home office as well. After all, any employee who works in the back of their home is going to need a front door that locks to feel secure. Remember, many of these employees are working in isolation, so opportunities for interaction (be it virtual or otherwise) are a key part of home office safety. When it comes to general safety in the home office, consider the following:

General Safety Considerations

1. Are there working fire alarms and CO2 monitors present?
2. Can the employee lock entry doors when working alone?
3. Is the workspace free from slip and trip hazards and excessive clutter?
4. Is there a clear path to an exit?
5. Are there opportunities for periodic contact virtually or otherwise?
6. Have you implemented a policy for reporting hazards, accidents, or injuries that happen in home office locations?

What about Workplace Inspections?

If everyone works at home, are they still necessary? The short answer is yes. Workplace inspections are a primary function of the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, s.9(23), the JHSC must designate a worker member to inspect the workplace. Under s 9(24), the worker member should be JHSC certified, if possible.
If most or all of your workforce works from home, it may not be possible. How will it work? That’s up to the employer. Some employers visit home offices to ensure that they’re safe. Others ask for photographs. Most employers simply ask employees that work remotely to complete a safety checklist.
​

Download the Home Office Safety Checklist

Trust MidSouthWest Training and Consulting

Your JHSC plays a key role in making recommendations and placing controls, even if they aren’t inspecting every home office. To help them be effective, ensure they’re all trained and certified. MidSouthWest Training and Consulting provides JHSC training in association with Langlois Safety Training and Consulting Services, an approved CPO Provider. We offer on-site JHSC Part One, Part Two, and Refresher training. We also offer JHSC training via distance learning.

We also offer: 

• Workplace Inspection Training
• Ergonomics Training
• Working Alone Training

 
You can trust MidSouthWest Training and Consulting to provide you with cost-effective training solutions tailored to meet your organization’s unique health and safety needs. To ask questions, contact us online or call 289.309.1143. Visit us 24/7 on the web at midsouthwest.ca.

​Last updated November 23, 2022