Industry Solutions | GPS Geo Guard

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic many businesses had no choice but to exercise their work from home operations within their business to keep operational and many OHS or WHS regulations were relaxed. However as per Safe Work Australia, WHS laws still apply if workers work from home. PCBUs must eliminate or minimise health and safety risks to their workers as much as they reasonably can even when working from home.

So, who is responsible for health and safety when working from home?

All employers, no matter the size, have a legal responsibility of anyone working from home for the safety of their workforce.

Many labour, staffing, or job hire companies feel the responsibility lays with the business they supply the labour or subcontractors to. However, there is a dual responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of the workforce.

WHY EVERYONE IS CHOOSING GPS GEO GUARD

Even though things are getting better with the world working from home is a trend that is set to continue with workers looking for a more flexible balance of home and office-based work. Many businesses are adopting approaches that blend working from home and in the office. Despite COVID-19 restrictions relaxed in most parts of the country, more Australians are taking up the option to work from home, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The Families in Australia Survey: Towards COVID Normal found that among the employed survey respondents, 67% were sometimes or always working from home, compared to 42% pre-COVID.

Working from home can also present psychosocial risks, including working in isolation, fatigue, poorly managed organisational change and job insecurity, ineffective communication and a lack of support from management or colleagues, etc.

Many of the tips and guidance on other pages of this site can also be applied to your home working environment.

Tips

Ensure a safe workspace in the home with a designated work area, comfortable and hazard-free access, and adequate lighting and ventilation.

Stay connected and supported – create an effective communication structure with regular check-ins, and team and individual catch-ups.

Maintain work-life balance – define the workplace, avoid distractions and follow routines.

Monitor absenteeism and incident reports and patterns.

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