Home working Arrangements & Guidance July 2002

Transcription

1 Home working Arrangements & Guidance July 2002 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Health & Safety Policy

2 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Health & Safety Law 3. Responsibilities 4. Hazards associated with home working 5. References & further reading Appendix 1: Appendix 2: Managers Checklist for home workers Violence & Lone-working checklist Appendix 3: Home workers self-assessment form Appendix 4: Occupational road risk (driing) checklist

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document has been produced by the Safety Office as a guide for managers who are responsible for staff contracted to work at or from home. The aim of this document is to ensure that risks to staff who work at / from home are minimised and that adequate precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of an accident. This document sets out: Legal requirements releant to home working Responsibilities of the employer/manager including the requirement to carry out a risk assessment Responsibilities of employee i.e. home worker Hazards likely to be encountered whilst working at / from home 2.0 HEALTH & SAFETY LAW The employer has a general duty under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the health, safety & welfare of his / her employee whilst at work. Therefore this duty extends to employee of the Trust who hae been contracted to work either at home or from home. Risk Assessment Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the employer is required to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to his employees whilst at work. This inoles identifying hazards in the workplace, identifying who might be harmed and how, looking at what controls are currently in place and deciding if further action needs to be taken. The risk assessment also needs to be recorded and reiewed on a regular basis, for example, annually. Other Regulations which require a specific risk assessment be carried out include the DSE (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992; the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; the Proision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1992 and the Fire Precautions Regulations RESPONSIBILITIES Managers It is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that: A suitable and sufficient risk assessment is made of employee work actiities that he / she will be expected to carry out at/from home;

4 That any recommendations made as a result of the assessment are implemented and within the time-frame specified, That any accidents occurring to an employee as a result of working at / from home are recorded, inestigated and correctie action taken to preent a recurrence, That appropriate records are kept (e.g. of any training gien to home workers, risk assessments, equipment maintenance & testing etc.) Employees Employees who hae been contracted to work at / from home hae a responsibility to: Cooperate with their manager and comply with any safe systems of work put in place to safeguard their health & safety; To carry out their work in accordance with training; Report any work-related accidents, near-misses or other safety concerns to their manager. 4.0 HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH HOMEWORKING The most common hazards associated with working at/ from home include those associated with: VDU work Manual handling actiities Slips, trips & falls The Working Enironment Electricity Fire Work Equipment Examples of the aboe hazards including possible outcomes are included in table 1 on page 6. A checklist of all the hazards that may be associated with home working can be found in Appendix 1. This checklist has been deised for managers to help them ensure that they hae considered all the possible hazards associated with home working prior to contracting an employee to work at/from home. Additional hazards that may be associated with home working include the following: Violence & Lone-working Stress Driing

5 Violence and Lone working Employees who work from home may be subject to iolence due to the nature of their job. The definition of iolence includes both erbal abuse and physical assault. Managers should identify whether iolence may be a risk to staff working from home and will need to identify what particular aspects of the job could put the employee at risk. Some examples of where an employee might be at risk of iolence include: Working alone/in isolation; Visiting difficult or mentally unstable clients; Driing. Managers will need to ensure that adequate control measures are in place where it has been identified that an employee may be at risk from iolence. Some examples include: haing a call-in procedure in place so that managers and staff know of the whereabouts of their employees at all times; proiding a means of communication to staff e.g. by proiding a mobile phone to a staff member who works alone; proiding personal alarms and back-up to staff who might be particularly at risk of iolence; haing adequate measures in place for the reporting of iolent incidents and ensuring that any such incidents are inestigated promptly. A Violence & Lone-working Checklist has been reproduced in Appendix 3 to assist you with your risk assessment. Stress Stress is now recognised by the Health and Safety Executie (HSE) as a significant workplace hazard. Managers hae a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, which includes the preention of work-related stress. Employees who work at or from home may be subject to stress for arious reasons, e.g. as follows: Working alone or in isolation away from colleagues etc; Distractions caused by family members, young children, noise etc Driing Dealing with difficult clients Excessie Workload

6 Therefore, stress needs to be included, as part of the oerall risk assessment and managers should identify possible causes of stress and means of aoiding or alleiating stress with their employees prior to the commencement of working from home. Driing Employers including managers hae a responsibility to manage the risks associated with at-work road journeys and other on-the-road work actiities as part of their oerall strategy for managing health & safety. As preiously mentioned, managers are responsible for ensuring that suitable and sufficient risk assessments hae been carried out and this includes an assessment of occupational road risk. Any ehicle proided by the employer for work actiities needs to be in good working order and well maintained. Other considerations in relation to occupational road risk that managers need to be aware of are included in Appendix 4. There is also a checklist for driers prior to the commencement of road journeys that should be gien to all employees who drie as part of their work.

7 Table 1: Common hazards associated with working at/from home HAZARD EXAMPLE POSSIBLE OUTCOME 1. VDU Work 2. Manual Handling Actiities 3. Slips, Trips & Falls 4. Working Enironment 5. Electricity 6. Fire 7. Work Equipment (E.g. computer, fax machine, printer etc.) Poor posture Lack of sufficient micro-breaks away from screen work Poor workstation design Lifting boxes of stationary up/down stairs Lifting items of equipment e.g. computer, projector etc. out of a car into a building Obstruction of aisles and walkways Poor storage arrangements Insufficient space Trailing leads / cables Uneen or slippery floor (e.g. presence of a step / slope) Torn carpet / hole in floor Poor lighting Poor lighting Inadequate heating / entilation Noise Space (Lack of sufficient) Insufficient sockets aailable/ oerloaded sockets Damaged leads & plugs Oerheating Failure of cord grip at plug Lack of / worn insulation Lack of electrical inspection & testing Lack of inspection & testing of electrical items of equipment Storage of combustible material e.g. stationary adjacent to radiant heaters etc. Heay, unwieldy equipment Old or poorly maintained equipment Lack of user training Musculoskeletal Injury Eye strain Fatigue Musculoskeletal injury Discomfort in neck, shoulder, or back area due to repetitie work No injury Minor injuries e.g. bruise, sprain or cut Major injury e.g. # arm / leg; head injury Slips, trips & falls; eyestrain Fatigue, dehydration, Headaches; poor concentration Musculoskeletal injury; slips & trips Electric shock Fire Shock Smoke inhalation Burns Death Musculoskeletal injury Faulty equipment - -possible electric shock Human error

8 5.0 REFERENCES 1. A Guide to the Health & Safety at Work Act L1. Fifth Edition HSE Books. 2. Management of Health & Safety at Work. Approed Code of Practice. L HSE Books. 3. Display Screen Equipment Work. Guidance on the Regulations. L HSE Books. 4. Safe Use of Work Equipment. Approed Code of Practice & Guidance. L HSE Books. 5. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations Workplace, Health, Safety and Welfare. Approed Code of Practice. L HSE Books. 7. The Electricity at Work Regulations A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations L73. First Edition HSE Books. Trust Health and Safety Policy and other Policies & Guidance relating to items 3-8 aboe aailable on Freenet or from the Safety Office on ext. 8034/5. Further Reading & Guidance Safe Home working Guidance for Managers & Home workers. Produced by Merlin Communications (UK) Ltd Working with VDU s. HSE Publication INDG Laptop Computer Guide: Human Focus Reducing at-work Road Traffic Accidents. HSE Books ISBN Office wise HSE Books IND (G) Health & Safety and the use of laptop computers. Guidelines for UNISON branches, safety representaties and stewards. Produced by UNISON Communications Department. Fie steps to risk assessment. HSE Booklets (INDG 69) 1999 Maintaining portable electrical equipment is offices and other low risk enironments HSE Booklets (INDG 236) 1997 Getting to grips with manual handling. A Short Guide for Employers. HSE Books. INDG Slips, Trips & Falls. Guidance for employers on identifying hazards and controlling risks. HSE Books. HS (G) Home working. Guidance for employers and employees on Health and Safety. HSE. IND (G)

9 Appendix 1: Managers Checklist for Home workers This checklist has been deised as a guide to aid managers in complying with their duties to protect the health & safety of their employees contracted to work at / from home. This checklist is not designed to be exhaustie and there may be items, which do not apply. On the contrary there may be other or more specific hazards, which you will need to take into account, which are not coered by this checklist. ITEM YES NO COMMENTS VDU / Laptop Use Has a risk assessment been carried out where computers and laptops are being used for 2 hours or more during the working day for work purposes? (Self-assessments are acceptable proided the user has had the necessary information / training) Hae recommendations from assessments been implemented? Hae all users of desk-top / laptop computers been trained or otherwise informed of the following: hazards associated with computer use (including laptops)? importance of good posture? importance of taking regular micro-breaks away from the screen? how to set up their workstation correctly? Arrangements for obtaining an eye-test / VDU spectacles? Manual Handling Has a risk assessment been carried out for all manual handling actiities? Hae recommendations from manual handling risk assessments been implemented? Has the employee concerned receied manual handling training on safe handling techniques? Has suitable and sufficient equipment been proided to aid manual handling actiities, where these are unaoidable?

10 ITEM YES NO COMMENTS Working Enironment Slips, Trips & Falls Hae all potential slip or trip hazards been identified in the home? Hae suitable & sufficient measures been taken to reduce the risk of a slip / trip accident by, e.g. ensuring adequate lighting is proided? ensuring suitable arrangements for storing items are in place? ensuring any trailing leads are tied up by, for example, using cable ties? Lighting Is the lighting suitable and sufficient? Is the workstation sited to aoid glare / reflections? Does a blind need to be installed to eliminate unwanted glare? Is there a need to proide task lighting, e.g. a desk lamp? Heating / Ventilation Is the heating suitable and sufficient? Is the employee subject to unpleasant draughts? Is there access to a window and can it be easily opened and closed? If radiant heaters are being used, is the employee aware of the risks? Space Is there suitable and sufficient space for the employee to carry out his work comfortably and safely? Has sufficient space for the storage of files, equipment etc, been allocated? Noise Is the workplace free from distracting noise?

11 ITEM YES NO COMMENTS Electricity Has an electrical safety check of all equipment proided by the employer been carried out prior to the commencement of work? Has the employee been adised to carry out a isual inspection of plugs and leads on a regular basis? (A isual inspection should inole looking for: damage to the plug e.g. cracks, loose pins, signs of oerheating, damage to lead e.g. breaks in insulation, exposed wires, poor connection) Has the employee been adised to aoid oerloading of sockets by use of adaptors? Is the employee aware that under no circumstances should he / she carry out electrical repairs / testing and that this can only be done by a competent person i.e. an electrician? Fire Has a fire exit / escape route been clearly identified in the eent of a fire / emergency? Is the fire escape route kept free of obstructions and combustible material at all time? Is combustible material e.g. paper, flammable substances stored away from sources of radiant heat? Has an electrical safety check been carried out on all electrical equipment proided by the employer? Is there a means of fire-detection in place e.g. has a smoke detector been installed?

12 ITEM YES NO COMMENTS Equipment Has all electrical equipment proided by the employer been inspected & tested? Hae all users been trained in the correct use of equipment proided by the employer? Is the employer aware of the arrangements for reporting problems with equipment? Where heay bulky equipment needs to be transported, hae suitable aids been proided to facilitate this? Violence & Lone-working Is the employee likely to be at risk of iolence as a result of their work? If yes, has a risk assessment been carried out? Is the employee likely to be working alone? If yes, has a risk assessment been carried out? (A iolence and lone working checklist is reproduced in Appendix 2 to help you with your risk assessment) Stress Hae possible triggers of work-related stress been identified with the employee? Hae measures of aoiding stress associated with working at/from home been discussed with the employee? Driing Has the employee been proided with a car for work purposes? If yes, has a risk assessment been carried out? Has the drier checklist been gien to the employee? Accident Reporting/First-Aid Has the employee been proided with a first-aid kit? Is the employee aware of the procedure for reporting accidents and near-misses?

13 Appendix 2: Violence and Lone Working Checklist. ITEM YES NO COMMENTS Violence Is there a potential risk of iolence to staff working from home? If yes has a risk assessment been carried out? Do staff need to be proided with personal alarms? Is there a safe system of work in place where staff hae to isit potentially iolent clients? (E.g. a minimum of two members of staff) Are staff encouraged to report incidents of iolence (includes physical assault and erbal abuse) and are they familiar with the procedure for reporting such eents? Lone working Due to the nature of the job, will there be occasions when staff work alone? If yes, has a risk assessment been carried out? Is there a call-in procedure for staff working or traelling alone? Are staff who work alone proided with a means of communication e.g. a mobile phone?

14 Appendix 3: Home workers Self-Assessment Form. The purpose of this assessment is to assist your manager in safeguarding your health and safety whilst you work at/or from home. Please complete all sections of the form and return it to your manager within the time frame agreed. You may keep a copy for your own records. NAME. HOME ADDRESS HOME TELEPHONE NO JOB TITLE DATE OF ASSESSMENT.. DEPARTMENT MOBILE TELEPHONE NO. DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT (i.e. desktop & laptop computers) Yes No What percentage of your working day is spent on the computer? Is the monitor positioned directly in front of you? Display Screen Is the monitor positioned at the correct height? (when looking horizontal, eyes should be resting just below the top of the screen) Does the screen tilt and swiel easily? Is the image on the screen clear and stable? Keyboard Is there sufficient space in front of the keyboard to rest the wrists on? Are all the keys present and are they in good working order? For laptop users, has an additional keyboard been proided?

15 Mouse Yes No Is there sufficient space adjacent to the keyboard for the mouse to be used comfortably? Is the mouse positioned close to the keyboard to preent oerstretching and flexion of the wrist? Is a mouse mat proided? EQUIPMENT Work Desk Is the desk large enough for all the equipment and full range of tasks to be carried out there? Is there sufficient clearance underneath the desk for thighs and knees and to stretch the legs? Hae you got sufficient space to access and more around your work desk? Work chair Is the height of the chair adjustable? Is the back-rest adjustable in height and tilt? Does the chair hae a fie-star base? Is the chair comfortable to sit on? Document Holder Do you hae a document holder? If no, do your need one? (document holders are required where the users work inole a lot of copying from documents). If yes, it is positioned at the same height and distance as the monitor?

16 Footrest Yes No Do you need a footrest? (a footrest is required where the user s feet do not rest fully on the floor while maintaining the correct height for iewing the screen). MANUAL HANDLING ACTIVITIES Does your work inole manual handling actiities? If yes, please specify what?. Has a risk assessment been carried out? Hae you has manual handling training? If yes, how long ago?. Do you require any manual handling aids? (e.g. to assist in the transportation of equipment etc.) WORKING ENVIRONMENT Slips, Trips & Falls Is the work area free from trip hazards? (e.g. boxes stored in walkways, torn/loose carpet; uneen/sloping floor surface etc.) Are trailing cables and leads tidied up so they don t pose as a trip hazard? Lighting, Reflections and Glare Is the general lighting adequate? Is task or local lighting required? (e.g. a desk lamp) Are you free from strong sources of light? (e.g. sunlight, glare from oerhead bright lights etc.)

17 Heating and Humidity Yes No Is the temperature and entilation adequate? Are you free from draughts? Do you hae access to a window? If yes, can it be opened and closed easily? Noise Is the work area free from distracting equipment noise? ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Has an electrical check been carried out on any electrical equipment proided by your employer? Is there any eidence of damage to plugs or leads? Is there any eidence of oerheating? FIRE Is combustible material e.g. stationary, stored away from sources of heat e.g. radiant heaters? Is the work area kept tidy and free from obstructions including waste materials? Do you hae a designated escape route in case of fire? Is there a means of detecting a fire e.g. is there a smoke alarm installed? Do you know what action to take in case of fire? VIOLENCE & LONE-WORKING Are you at risk of iolence as part of your job? Doe your job inole periods or occasions when you work alone or in isolation? If the answer to either of the aboe is yes, has a risk assessment been carried out?

18 STRESS Yes No Do you experience stress which you feel has arisen as a result of your work? Hae you discussed the aboe with your manager? Are you familiar with ways or techniques which can alleiate or reduce work-related stress? DRIVING Hae you been proided with a ehicle by your employer for work purposes? If yes, hae you discussed the safety aspects of driing with your manager? Hae you been proided with the drier s checklist which you should complete prior to the commencement of your road journey? (attached) ACCIDENTS/FIRST-AID Are you familiar with the procedure for reporting work-related accidents and ill-health? Do you hae a first-aid kit or access to first aid supplies?. Any other comments you hae regarding health and safety concerns/issues relating to working at/from home:.. Thank you for completing this form. Please return it to your manager as soon as possible.

19 Management Action This section is for the manager to complete once the questionnaire has been returned from the employee. Problems Identified: Action to be taken: Action by date: Signed: Designation: Date: Date for reiew: