This blog was written by Josh Hancey, Helpside’s Safety Director.

Workplace safety used to be something you just addressed inside your company building. Now, with so many employees working from home, business owners have to be aware of safety risks in home environments. How can you as a business leader make sure that even your remote employees are safe? Here are some ways:

Know the Risks

You can’t do anything to prevent something from happening if you don’t know what that “something” is. Ergonomics and work-related injuries are risks even in remote or work-from-home situations. Additionally, employers should know how to stay up-to-date on EHS (environment, health, and safety) regulations. Taking time to educate yourself on the potential risks will give you a leg up on keeping your employees safe. Here are some great resources for keeping you up-to-date on OHSA regulations as well as other safety tips:

Still have concerns understanding the risks of your remote employees? Helpside specializes in helping our clients with remote safety/ergonomic assessments. If you are interested in a safety/ergonomic assessment, please contact Josh Hancey.

Implement Policies

Minimizing your employees’ unsafe work practices and equipment can greatly decrease chances of an injury in a home or remote office. You can lessen risk by training your employees on safe work practices. This will help employees understand and avoid behaviors that could potentially lead to injuries. You can also require employees to use company-issued ergonomic office supplies to keep employees safe from injury; however, often times a simple ergonomic assessment with the implementation of a few simple policies and procedures can have a big impact

It is also acceptable to require employees to complete periodic home office inspections. The inspection can cover a wide range of topics including general office set-up (i.e., desk, chair, privacy), space heaters, internet connections, electrical and tripping hazards, etc.

Helpside can help you set-up an online inspection program for your employees that allows them to complete and submit a complete safety and risk assessment using an online form. Please contact Josh Hancey for more information.

Create a Safety-Oriented Culture

Having a safety-oriented culture can be a great help to you when trying to keep employees safe. If employees are aware of and concerned about their safety in the workplace, their actions and behaviors will be less likely lead to an injury. Create open lines of communication about potential safety concerns and do your best to address them. Make it a point to talk about safety in company meetings. This could be a simple safety tip, training, or share safety metrics. Doing this will encourage your employees to be conscientious about theirs’ and others’ safety.

Do you have questions about keeping your remote employees safe? Contact Josh Hancey at jhancey@helpside.com