Working from Home Safety Tips

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a severe uptick in the number of employees working remotely. While working from home offers many benefits to both employee and employer, it also introduces many safety challenges that can affect Workers' Compensation Insurance.

According to U.S.A. Today, approximately 22 million U.S. employees work from home all the time. That is roughly 14% of the adult workforce, and experts predict that by 2025, more than one in five Americans will work remotely.

Safety Challenges When Employees Work Remotely

"A fast-emerging concern is the long-term health and safety of people working at home," one expert states. "The slips, falls, and other accidents associated with in-person workplace injuries have migrated to home. Safeguards normally found in the workplace may be missing at home. Few home working spaces can replicate the environments of well-planned business spaces. Not all workers have access to a dedicated home office space, good chairs and desks, ergonomic monitors and keyboard placements, specialized lighting, [and] other office basics that help reduce accidents." In fact, household injuries have risen from a rate of 14.3% in 2017 to 28% in 2020. Most of these injuries are due to falls (32%) or cuts (11%).

People working from home also tend to work longer hours with fewer breaks, causing physical fatigue and injuries like carpal tunnel. Challenges in balancing work and home, in-home distractions, and the loss of collaboration with colleagues can increase stress and anxiety.

And finally, people working remotely have become the primary target for cyberattacks, which has risen 238% in volume since the beginning of the pandemic. Statistics show that 30% of remote workers don't get regular training from their employers, 44% engage in cybersecurity training once per year or less, and 75% pay for their home office-related costs.

6 Safety Tips for Remote Employees:

1. Regularly Communicate With Remote Workers
   Good communication lets your employees know what is happening, what is expected of them, what cyber threats to be aware of, and how to protect themselves when working remotely.
   
   
2. Provide Appropriate Training
   Appropriate training will be unique to each situation, but some examples may include home safety training, cyber-security training, and proper ergonomic training.
   
   
3. Encourage Regular Breaks
   When working remotely, it's more tempting to work through breaks and lunches than when working onsite. However, according to Michigan State University, "Skipping breaks can lead to faster burnout and higher stress levels. Employees stepping away from work for a few minutes increases their productivity, job satisfaction, mental health and well-being, and are overall more engaged in their work."
   
   
4. Consider Offering Stipends to Employees
   As mentioned above, 75% of remote employees pay for their home office-related costs. Providing a stipend to employees for things like ergonomic chairs, surge protectors, fire extinguishers, etc., can help minimize safety risks.
   
   
5. Address Workplace Ergonomics
   Typical workplace ergonomic issues include monitors that are too low, improperly used armrests, using phones without a headset, and more. Addressing these issues with training or stipends can help reduce many musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendonitis, tension neck syndrome, and carpal tunnel.
   
   
6. Create a Telecommuting Policy

   A telecommuting policy should outline the hours an employee will be working, list employer-owned equipment the employee can use outside the workplace, describe how employees should store and dispose of sensitive information, details about how work-related injury investigations will occur, etc.

Quality Worker's Compensation Insurance

At American Insuring Group, Ltd., we offer cost-effective worker's compensation insurance from many competing insurance companies. We work hard to get you the best price on quality insurance to protect your business and your employees, whether they work remotely or onsite.

Call us today at (800) 947-1270 or (610) 775-3848, or connect with us online.