Home Working Safely

Safety Training Pack

June 2010

IntroductionThis training pack is for all staff who work at, or from, home

Home working can be • where staff work at home for all of their working time • part of Flexible Working arrangements or where mobile

staff use home as a base

This training pack outlines health and safety information you need for your job. If you have any queries speak to your manager or call the Occupational Safety Team

Introduction continued…Before home working commences managers have to assess •suitability of job/role and the tasks to be undertaken at home•suitability of employee•suitability of the home work area

Permission will only be given if this is appropriate to the work and if there will be no detrimental effects on the health, safety and welfare of you and your colleagues, e.g. if you have supervisory duties, are a first aider or fire warden, alternative arrangements or cover must be in place before home working commences.

Further advice can be found in Home Working Safely, Health & Safety Guidance for Managers on the Occupational Safety webpages and from Human Resources Advisers.

The Legal PositionOver 2 million people work at home and the numbers are rising, so you are not alone!

Much of the health and safety legislation that applies to on-site workers applies to home workers.

Insurance When you are working at home you are covered by the Councils insurance policy for employers liability and personal accident, the same as other employees.All council equipment is insured and you are expected to take reasonable care of it. Any loss or damage must be reported to your manager.

Employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees, even when working at home

Your manager must ensure you•are working in a safe environment•have adequate welfare facilities•have safe equipment and ways of working•are given appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision

Health and Safety at Work Act

Health and Safety at Work Act - continued

Employees also have duties under the law-• to take reasonable care of your own health and safety • to take reasonable care of the health and safety of others

who may be affected by your work. At home this will be your family and friends.

• co-operate with your manager on safety issues - follow the procedures put in place when home working commences

• inform your manager about any problems/hazards you experience whilst working.

Read the Council’s Health and Safety at Work Policy for more

details about your responsibilities.

Risk AssessmentYour manager will ensure risk assessments are carried out

before home working starts, once it’s commenced and at

regular intervals and you will have a part to play in these

assessments.

The assessments will cover • the tasks to be done • suitability of your home work space • your training requirements• equipment requirements• adequate procedures

Provision of EquipmentYour manager will have considered what, if any, furniture, equipment or IT connections will be provided by the Council and discussed the decision with you. This will depend on the length of time you will be working at home, the nature of the work and the results of risk assessments.

As a general rule you will not be expected to use your own equipment except for occasional or ‘ad hoc’ home working, and only with prior approval of your manager.

Provision of Equipment

Where appropriate you must allow Council employees (or approved contractor) into your home to install, maintain or remove such items.

All furniture and equipment must be• suitable for the task • meet all the relevant safety standards• installed by competent people

If you have any concerns speak to your manager or the Occupational Safety Team.

Domestic SettingPhysical aspectsThe main requirement is to adapt a space/area within your home where

• you can insulate yourself from the domestic activities during work time.

• you can ‘put work away’ and not have a constant reminder of work when you are enjoying family activities.

At the same time the space must be large enough for you to carry out the work tasks safely.

You must talk to your manager if you want to make changes to the agreed workspace.

To eliminate the risk of violence and aggression, members of the public, clients or customers must not visit the home location in relation to your work.

Domestic SettingEmotional aspectsIt’s important that home working is a ‘good fit’ for the rest of the family as well as yourself. They have to adjust to you being physically present but mentally pre-occupied.

Appropriate care arrangements have to be made for dependant children/adults whilst you are working.

Domestic SettingEvery year almost 4000 people die and 2.7 million turn up in

A&E departments seeking treatment following accidents in the

home. Your manager has to be sure you are safe whilst

working at home.

Hazards for Homeworkers (there may be others!)

• FIRE• ELECTRICITY• SLIP/TRIPS• DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT

FireA greater number of fires occur in homes compared to workplaces.

If you spend all, or a significant proportion, of your working time at home you will be asked to install a suitable smoke detector before home working commences. This should alert you quickly if a fire occurs and enable you to escape from the work area.

You are responsible for the installation, testing and maintenance of the smoke detector.

ElectricityThere is the potential for electricity to kill or injure people.You are responsible for maintaining the integrity of your home electrical circuit.All electrical equipment supplied by the Council for you to use

at home will • meet all relevant safety standards • be installed by competent people. You must take care of the equipment and report any damage or problems that arise – Do you know the reporting procedure to follow? Your manager will arrange PAT testing of all electrical equipment supplied by the Council. Contact your manager if this does not happen.

Slips/TripsFalls are the main cause of injuries in the home.

To try to prevent accidents happening to you, your family and other Council staff who occasionally visit (e.g. your manager) you will be asked to complete a checklist. This has been produced to help managers and home workers identify and eliminate potential problems.

You must keep your work area hazard free, particularly the exit routes.

Display Screen Equipment• If your workstation is badly set up you could develop

aches and pains

• It is important that you have had training on the health and safety aspects of setting up and working on display screen equipment. Speak to your manager if you need this training

• It’s important to take task breaks to prevent vision problems, fatigue and stress. It’s easy to forget when working on your own with few distractions!

• Report any problems you experience to your manager – managers can’t help resolve problems if they don’t know about them!

• Complete a DSE risk assessment and repeat or review it at least once a year.

Laptop ComputersLaptop and portable computers are not designed for intensive or prolonged use and should not be the first choice for home workers. A risk assessment must be undertaken if one is considered.

If a laptop is chosen, appropriate controls may be required to make it safer to use e.g. blocks to raise the screen; adaptor to connect a normal sized keyboard and mouse.

If you have to carry a laptop your manager should have considered the manual handling issues and the possibility of violent theft. You may be given a wheeled bag or rucksack-type carrier to reduce the risk of injury.

ProceduresYour manager will inform you of the procedures you must

follow to report :• accidents• problems with furniture and equipment • sickness

There must also be clear procedures for logging in/out of work

–particularly important for those working from home to ensure

they are safe during and at the end of the working day.

Procedures

Working hours, work patterns, frequency of face to face meetings, attendance at the office base etc. will be agreed before home working begins. You must agree any variations in advance with your manager

First Aid provision will be considered as part of the risk assessment. You may be given a suitable first aid kit and basic first aid training

CommunicationGood communications are important to successful home working.There needs to be clear understanding between you, your manager and colleagues in the office, about what type of communications are expected and at what intervals. Ground rules should be established and include :

• communication mechanisms e.g. email, telephone, post • core contact times and contact frequency• list of contact names and numbers• arrangements for face-to-face meetings• arrangements to receive Team and Council communications • access to support e.g. ICT technical support contact details• reporting procedures• monitoring and evaluation procedures• office attendance requirements for e.g. training, team meetings etc

Once ground rules are established everyone must stick to them.

Communication Spending most of your time working on your own can lead to social isolation resulting in stress or depression

Regular face to face meetings are recommended between you and your manager, colleagues in the office, and possibly other home workers

It’s important that regular communications provide an opportunity for social chat and home workers have the opportunity to join the office or team social gatherings

Managers should promote a sense of belonging to the Council and you should feel part of ‘the team’

Please talk to your manager, or Employee Health & Well Being Unit, if you feel stressed or depressed.

Summary of Manager’s Responsibilities• ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are

undertaken for home working activities and working environments

• ensure home workers are aware of their own safety responsibilities

• ensure suitable and safe equipment is provided• ensure fire precautions are in place• make homeworkers aware of procedures to follow e.g. to

report accidents, problems, hazards• provide suitable and sufficient training• implement a system to ensure home workers personal

safety.

Summary of Employee Responsibilities

• receive permission from manager before working at home• take reasonable care of your own health and safety • take reasonable care of the health and safety of others who

may be affected by your work.• co-operate with your manager on safety issues• where a smoke detector is required, take responsibility for

installation, testing and maintenance• responsible for maintaining working environment to agreed

standard• consult with manager before making changes to the home

working environment

Summary of Employee Responsibilities

• duty to report any problems by following the agreed procedures

• responsible for the integrity of the domestic electricity supply

• ensure appropriate care arrangements are made for dependant children/adults whilst you are working

• members of the public, clients or customers must not visit you at home in relation to work

Home Working Safely Training Pack

You should complete the following checklist with your manager to provide evidence that you understand the content of the Home Working Safely training pack.

Tick Box

I understand my health and safety responsibilities whilst home working

I understand my managers responsibilities in relation to home working

I have been given details of all the relevant procedures to enable me to work at home safely

I know what action to take if I experience problems whilst home working

I hereby declare that

………………………………………………………………………….(print name)

has worked through the Home Working Safely training pack and understands the basic principles of health and safety

………………………………….(signed employee)………………………(date)

………………………………….(signed Manager)………………………(print Manager name)

You need to keep a copy of this checklist with your completed training pack and your manager will also keep a copy for your training record.