Working From Home

Are you working from home, or do you have employees working from home?

The Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003

You may or may not be aware, but if you are working from home, or you have employees working from home, the obligations of an employer to provide a safe workplace extends under the Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.

Therefore. employers should be taking reasonable steps to ensure that their employees do not suffer any foreseeable injuries whilst working from home.  Employers should be aware of their employees' working environment as they have a duty of care to their employees to protect them from sustaining any injuries in the workplace.

Are you or your employees working in a safe environment?

If an employee is working from home, you should make sure that their workspace is still ergonomically friendly, as it would be in the office.  You should give thought to their workstation set up.  Do they have an adjustable chair at the correct height?  How have they placed their computer monitors to minimise neck and eye strain?  Is there a quick and clear exit path in the case of an emergency?

A smart idea is to implement a self-check policy and have employees verify that they are working in a safe environment.  If you have trained your employees about smart and safe working environments, then you are in a better position to protect yourself from a workers' compensation claim and your employee from an injury.

The Safe Work Australia website provides valuable tools to assist you in ensuring you are complying with the legislation however should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact our office.