In September 2020, the percentage of the Canadian workforce working from home had continued edging down, from 26.4% in August to 25.6%. This means that a quarter of all working Canadians are still working remotely to avoid the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Companies worldwide had to suddenly face the problem of sending most (if not all) of their employees to work from home. Even though organizations invested time, money, and effort into workplace safety, now the problem is entirely different: the safety of their employees outside the office.

Are there any risks of injury for those working from home? Are they the responsibility of their employer? Is the risk of injury increased by sending workers home?

Most Common Hazards When Working From Home

It might seem that an employee’s home is a risk-free space, but that is far from true. Many health and safety hazards are lurking about, including:

  • Isolation and loneliness
  • Work-related stress
  • Trips and falls
  • Musculoskeletal issues
  • Cyber risks and data security
  • General wellbeing and mental health problems
  • Noise, distractions, lack of first aid or fire exits, etc.

These are just some of the most common risks your employees may be exposed to at home. If your current systems cannot handle monitoring these remote hazards, perhaps it’s time to find better technology.

Company System Evolution

Working remotely will likely become the norm even once the global health crisis dies down. If they haven’t already, companies will need to evolve their systems. They will need to accommodate all the workers who prefer completing their tasks out of the office.

Some features your organization should consider are:

- Changing the workflow and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- Moving all communication and interactions to the internet
- Managing and tracking infectious diseases (if there is a part of your company still meeting in-person)
- Offering simple tools where workers can input information about hazards they’re surrounded by and incidents that might have happened

When social distancing becomes a thing of the past, working from home will remain a natural, strategically smart thing to do. SOPs will have to be adapted and elevated, in-person interactions will be less important, and leadership will need to become more creative and agile.

Takeaway

The right software solution will help you keep track of your worker’s hazards, no matter where they are. This solution should be cloud-based, meaning that any employee can access it from any device connected to the internet. It should be easy to use and robust, able to track different types of hazards from various sources - not just the hazards in a single workplace.

The Checker Pro is an inspection program that allows you to conduct your own hazard assessments, safety reviews, inspection processes, and more.

It isn’t one-size-fits-all. The Checker Pro enables flexible configuration so that you can tailor the software to the needs of your industry and the type of business you’re running. With so many different factors of traditional work turned on their head, it’s time to start thinking about software solutions for the future.

Image source: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/attractive-young-woman-working-laptop-on-1062370478

Tags: take safety home

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