Home Working Risk Assessment

Home Working Home working has become common-place since the pandemic. Indeed it’s been on the rise for a number of years and whilst some organisations have implemented home working effectively, others are now beginning to see health problems emerging from poor workstation equipment and ergonomics. You may have been in conversations where people have said “I’m working from home now” or “I can work wherever and whenever I like provided the job gets done”.  And whilst many people enthusiastically describe the benefits of improved work/life balance others have not enjoyed the experience. It may have started well, but for those who are now experiencing pain and discomfort the novelty is wearing thin. So what do employers need to do to ensure the positive benefits on health and work/life balance continue for those who are working from home for part or all of their time.   What is Home working? Home working is where employees do not commute to a central place of work, and instead either work from their home or another location away from the workplace. It is also referred to as: Hybrid working Agile working Working from home (home working) Flexible working It allows employees to work outside of a traditional work environment (usually an office), eg their home, another person’s home, or even a public space such as a coffee shop or hot desk at the local gym. What H&S law applies to home working? This depends on whether someone is deemed to be a “home worker” as specified in their Contract of Employment, or if their workplace is deemed to be your premises.  Whilst the general duty of care applies to both scenarios, how far an employer needs to go to meet it varies significantly between the two. In the former description, ie a worker is contracted to work from home full time, the employer must go further in ensuring the person has a suitable workspace, equipment and furniture. Therefore a home risk assessment is needed as part of the recruitment process to identify if/what additional equipment is needed and even if the person could work safely from home in the first place. This can be completed in person or remotely, eg via use of video conferencing (Teams etc). The majority of home workers come within the latter description in that they have ended up working from home because of the pandemic, or as part of your organisation’s progression to offer more flexibility, work/life balance etc.  Indeed, home working during the pandemic may have been intended as a temporary arrangement but has now become a longer-term or even permanent feature of working life. In this case, it is imperative you clarify your arrangements in your Health & Safety Policy so everyone is clear about how their health, safety and welfare is managed and monitored and what to do if it begins to affect a persons health, safety or general welfare. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidance also clearly considers the different approaches needed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of a temporary home worker and long term home working. What should a Remote or Home Working Policy Contain? Your Health and Safety Policy should clearly state issues such as: Your definition of remote working / home working or agile work Whether people are required to work remotely or can do this optionally (ie where their main place of work is deemed to be) Criteria for someone to work remotely, including whether they have sufficient space, furniture, electrical sockets, distraction from others in the home, and connectivity to internet / phone. Provision (if any) of furniture or equipment to facilitate safe remote working, particularly relating to ergonomic set up to avoid Musculo-skeletal discomfort / RSI type conditions. Arrangements for ongoing communication with colleagues to maintain productivity as well as reduce isolation and other mental health hazards. Performance measurement (ie output monitoring rather than attendance monitoring) How to set up your remote working space, and any information and training that will be provided. Who to report problems to, how to report problems, and what to expect in terms of support once a problem has been raised. Responsibilities of key individuals (line managers, remote workers, IT, HR) Remote Working – Health and Safety Risks? The key risks (health and safety related) that we have seen cover two main areas: Poor ergonomics and posture caused by use of unsuitable furniture and equipment. Are they sitting at their kitchen table on a four legged chair with no back support? If they are doing this for several hours a day then the risk of developing Musculo-skeletal discomfort significantly increase. Mental health, stress and isolation: The flexibility that home working can bring can also have drawbacks if the employee is not sufficiently disciplines, trained or prepared to segregate their home/work life. They may find it hard to switch off and separate work problems, or they may find themselves answering emails etc during the weekends and evenings. Another cause for concern is that it is not so easy to monitor and identify early signs of isolation, stress and anxiety if your people are not directly with you. What should employers do? The first step is to agree at corporate level your strategy for continuing home work – whether this will continue as a requirement, a discretionary agreement and for how much of a worker’s time they can spend working from home. It is good practice to complete some form of basic assessment of anyone who is working from home or remotely, and this can be achieved by use of a simple checklist. Click here for a free home working risk assessment checklist download. You should clarify your arrangements in your Health and Safety Policy. If you would like help with this please call us now for a no obligation discussion  01622 717700   How do people work remotely and how have other organisations approached a remote work or agile work strategy? We have been advising clients for many years on all
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COVID-19 Contingency Plan

Introduction This COVID-19 contingency plan outlines the main purpose and guidance to PHSC plc subsidiary directors of mitigation actions to minimise the risk to staff, customers and business productivity following the recent outbreak of COVID-19. It follows the latest guidance from the Government on Social Distancing and seeks to maintain a balance between maintaining the health, safety and welfare of our stakeholders and business continuity, as follows: The Prime Minister  set out a number of social distancing measures to reduce the risk of infection from the spread of coronavirus. For those who remain well, are under 70 or do not have an underlying health condition, they are advised to limit their social contact where possible, including using less public transport, working at home and considering not going to pubs, restaurants, theatres and bars. This government guidance has been updated several times, and workplaces are now able to start resuming their trade, provided sufficient social distancing and other safety measures are in place.  The intention was never to  close business although some organisations had no other option. And now there is an equally big challenge in getting staff back to work. Indeed, some business have found that there is no need for staff to return to the workplace, but others do need to return.  This will mean taking sensible measures that maintains business continuity whilst protecting health of our staff, customers and other stakeholders. We will continue to monitor our COVID-19 Contingentcy Plan, using a risk-based approach in response to updated information from Public Health England, and continuing to provide Professional Help at Sensible Cost This plan will be revised and updated as and when there is significant new guidance from Public Health England / Health Protection Scotland. Purpose To minimise the risk of PHSC plc personnel contracting COVID-19 To minimise risk of infecting PHSC plc clients To minimise the impact upon PHSC plc subsidiaries from the potential effects of business disruption due to staff sickness/ isolation or other inability to service clients To maintain its duty of care to employees, contractors, customers and others who may be affected by our operations. To reassure customers and other key stakeholders of PHSC’s proactive and reactive strategy for managing risks presented by Covid-19. Ad-hoc discussions en-route whilst auditing with individuals. Plan Subsidiary directors are to identify any staff or associates working for the subsidiary who may be more vulnerable due to underlying health issues that could be exacerbated if COVID-19 was contracted. Such information will be processed in line with our Data Protection protocols. Any staff who come within the category of vulnerable to be assessed for suitability for travelling on public transport / working with clients where there are high numbers of staff etc so as to minimise contact with persons or environment who may be infected. If no such assignments are available, then consideration should be given to providing alternative desk-based work, either at the office or at home. Work schedules to be closely monitored and close liaison with clients to occur daily. Where a client wishes to postpone or is closed down by PHE or Health Protection Scotland our cancellation terms and conditions should be considered. Directors have discretion over the circumstances of each case. It may be that other non-site work might be completed instead. Work that can be completed remotely should be agreed, eg via telephone, webinars and arranging for photographs/documents to be sent to our consultants where feasible. In the short term, agreement with clients should be made in advance to minimise time spent on site, and reasonable distance between individuals, particularly where training is being delivered. We will also identify their own COVID-19 Contingency Plan, and work within its parameters. Directors are to brief/remind consultants (bearing in mind the Chartered Safety Practitioner status of our management systems and health and safety consultants) on leading by example at all times, including when at client sites or when in transit.   Do: Briefings / guidance must be given to staff on: Hand hygiene protocols To obtain (if possible) hand sanitizer and carry with them Wearing of face masks / coverings whilst commuting, in lifts and other enclosed spaces To cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose immediately, or to cough/sneeze into their elbow if a tissue is not immediately available. Always to keep 2 metres distance wherever possible from their clients, or a minimum of 1 metre if the area is crowded. To avoid touching face, nose and mouth. If someone coughs/ sneezes immediately in the proximity of a staff member to ask to be excused to wash hands and sanitise. Not to shake hands with clients and to explain politely the reason why, in the current circumstances. To update directors if they feel they are experiencing symptoms associated with a cold, flu or virus (high temperature, headache, aching muscles, respiratory problems). When visiting clients, do not come into close contact with them. Do not shake hands and explain the reasons why. Maintain a polite and safe distance from clients wherever possible Maintain a safe distance from people you are in contact with (ideally 2 metres). Seek to arrange transit to client sites in the short-term via your own vehicle rather than public transport, to avoid close contact with large numbers of the public. Encourage staff when not at work to avoid large crowds. Encourage spare time activities to include such pleasures as walks in the country-side or by the sea. Being in nature is not only healthy mentally and physically, but the COVID-19 virus dies naturally in the countryside so risk of infection is very low. Avoid wherever possible using door handles / rails in public places. If possible, cover your hands with a tissue or a sleeve when opening /closing doors or holding handrails on stairs. If this cannot be avoided, wash your hands at the earliest convenience afterwards, or use sanitiser. Reassure clients of our measures in all correspondence. For staff who have report writing days, encourage them to do so at home
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Top Health and Safety Advice During Covid-19

social distancing COVID advice
We understand this is a difficult time for everyone with the uncertainty about how it will affect businesses, jobs and our loved ones, so we would like to share with you our advice and answer some questions that we have recently been asked. First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Our main priority is the health and wellbeing of our staff and clients. We are continuing to offer support, advice, consultancy and training to provide clients with the health and safety support they need whilst ensuring our staff remain safe themselves and do not pose a risk to any of the customers who we visit. We are continuing to visit client sites to carry out work as normal whilst following the social distancing guidelines. For more advice we have written a contingency policy which you can read on our website or download for free. What is Social Distancing? Social distancing is about keeping two meters apart from people because the virus spreads through the droplets that are produced when people cough, sneeze or even talk. If enough distance is kept the droplets will not spread far enough to reach the other person. Social Distancing at Work Maintaining 2 metres distance at work, especially if working on a busy conveyor system, can sometimes be a problem. Some simple measures can help to ensure that there are not too many people in the same place at the same time. Consider: – Staging start and finish times so people to reduce the number of people leaving/entering simultaneously. – Offering hours outside of rush hour to reduce crowded trains, buses etc. – If some people can work at home, enable those at work to spread out. – In industrial premises, alter break times so less people are using refreshments and welfare facilities at the same time. – Rearrange work areas so people are not standing directly next to each other. The minimum should be 1.5 metres if the full 2 metres cannot be achieved. – If colleagues still need to work closely, consider provision of FFP3 face-masks to contain water droplets /vapour being emitted into the atmosphere where they can spread. Can Good Hygiene Stop the spread? Washing hands is the key factor in reducing spread of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. This is better than hand sanitiser overall as when done properly any germs/bacteria on your hands are washed down the sink. How to wash hands correctly: Step 1: Wet hands with warm /hot water. Step 2: Use soap and rub vigorously for 20 seconds. Step 3: Rinse hands thoroughly. Step 4: Dry hands with an air dryer or disposable towel. Step 5: Turn off tap with towel (or tissue) to prevent reinfection and then dispose. Should We Provide Sanitiser? Sanitiser is important in particular for those who do not have quick and easy access to hand-washing facilities. So, if you have workers who are travelling, or are not close to welfare facilities, you should consider providing sanitiser as a priority. In addition, provision of sanitisers at reception for anyone entering the premises is important, as is having it accessible for those entering rest areas/canteens and break-out rooms where people take their work breaks. This should be an additional control, over and above the discipline of frequent hand-washing. Are Face Masks Necessary? Provided people maintain ideally a minimum of 2 metres distance, and a minimum of 1.5 metres, a face mask should not be necessary in most workplaces to protect from Coronavirus. Some workplaces, such as those providing health and social care services, or medical services will have much higher need for use of a mask. Further guidance can be obtained from here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance A mask is a good safety measure to use if you have COVID-19 or you are showing symptoms because it will help you to minimise the risk spreading the virus. However, wearing a mask will not necessarily protect you from getting the virus but will help with reducing transmission through droplets and vapour entering the atmosphere whilst talking, coughing or sneezing. Can We Still Run Training Sessions? Classroom sessions have almost stopped during the current outbreak; however, they can still be run provided good social distancing protocol is followed and those attending are not displaying any symptoms (dry cough, fever etc). This may be subject to change, however, if the government advice becomes more restrictive. You will need to ensure there is a room large enough to enable distance between attendees, and those attending will need to follow high levels of personal hygiene (coughing/sneezing into a tissue or into their sleeve/elbow), sanitising hands immediately afterwards or even leaving the room to wash their hands. A ready supply of tissues and hand sanitiser is recommended to facilitate the highest levels of hygiene, and assurance to everyone, that everything reasonably practicable is being done. While many of you have staff working from home, now is the time to renew and update their health and safety training. We provide health and safety e-learning courses please click here to find out more. We can also train your people whilst they are less busy via bespoke training sessions tailored to your organisation, via video-conferencing media such as Teams and Zoom.  Please call us on 01622 717700 if this is something you are interested in. Should People Travel in the Course of Their Work? The Government is stating that only essential travelling should occur. Travel to and from your workplace is regarded as essential travel (unless you can reasonably complete work from home).  Many employees cannot complete their work from home, or need to visit their workplace for specific reasons and this is currently deemed to be acceptable. Work to other locations requiring overnight travel should be minimised. Indeed, due to the closure of hotels, restaurants etc finding suitable accommodation is likely to be a very limiting factor in the person being able to travel distances that require overnight stays. Where people need to travel,
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