At your office building, you’ve probably taken measures to eliminate safety hazards and make sure employees’ work habits aren’t harmful to their health. However, when your employees are working from home, it’s harder to make sure their workspace is safe. Here are some things to share with your employees to help their work from home office to be safe:
Take Breaks
Your body is not designed to stay still for long periods of time, in or out of an office. It’s a good idea to take a break every 90 minutes or so to get your blood pumping and your mind refocused. During your break, consider doing a series of quick stretches to ease your muscles. If you can’t take a break, at least change your working position. Change from sitting to standing or from standing to kneeling. You can even try walking around during phone calls. Different positions will be more comfortable to you and will help your body stay healthy and happy.
Even your eyes need breaks. Every 20 minutes or so, focus on something far away for 20 seconds. You may also need to blink 5-10 times to refocus your vision. Doing this will help you to better focus on your work.
Positioning
Believe it or not, where things are placed can be helpful or harmful to your health. Keep your monitor at or just below eye level in a place where there are no glares on your screen. Your mouse and keyboard should be on the same level and when you use them, your wrist and forearms should be parallel to the ground. Position your work supplies close to you to avoid bending over and stretching frequently. Paying attention to how you position things can make it easier to stay healthy.
Eliminate Health Risks
Even at home there is risk of slipping or falling. Pay attention to where cords, wires, and power strips are located. Also, consider getting battery powered equipment when and where possible. Reducing the amount of cords and wires on the ground will also reduce your chances of tripping and getting injured. If you are using a space heater, there are additional risks that come with it. Your heater should be UL registered, meaning it’s up to safety standards. Make sure to keep space heaters away from anything flammable and that you turn it off and unplug it when it’s not in use. Plug the heater directly into an outlet (no extension cords) and place it on a stable surface away from electronics.
Share this advice or use it yourself to help promote safety in your company, even remotely.