Homeworking Risk Assessment

Did you know that even if your staff are working from home, as an employer you are responsible for their health and safety? If your staff are continuing to work from home you will need to conduct a homeworking risk assessment on their work environment.

Assess the homeworking area

Does it have ample ventilation for example, is it adequately heated, is the environment conducive for working? Is the area free from trip hazards? It is also important to establish whether the work area is subject to noise at a level which is likely to affect concentration?

Electrical Safety

You need to assess the level of electrical safety by determining whether sockets are overloaded or whether extension leads are damaged.

Posture & health

Does your employee know how to set up the workstation properly to avoid a poor posture? They will need to be reminded to take regular breaks and move around.

Online safety

The most important point to check is that staff are able to operate the software which is needed to do the job. Have they been adequately set up? Is their computer updated to ensure any information is securely shared with others?

Document storage

Does the employee have the ability to safely and store any confidential documents securely?

Furniture / desk

Do they have a suitable working space with ample room to move around and free from hazards?

Stress

Is the environment conducive for home working? Be sure to put arrangements in place for regular catch ups / reviews with managers and the team to ensure the employee remains connected with the rest of the business.

Emergency arrangements

There are a few points to note here, including whether the property is safe and has suitable precautions in place (such as smoke alarms). In addition, it’s important to check whether the home insurance is up to date and covers the employee if working from home.