Telecommuters Need to Be Protected, Too

With increased easy access to technology such as the Internet, online meetings and conference calls, telecommuting has become an attractive option for many companies and workers. In fact, a study has shown that telecommuters can be very productive.

But not all organizations have jumped on the bandwagon. For example, we recently asked if your company has telecommuters:

• 33% said their companies don’t permit telecommuting at all;
• 33% said telecommuting was permitted but only a handful of workers did it;
• 23% said telecommuting was only allowed on a part-time basis; and
• 11% said that a significant number of workers in their company worked from home.

For those safety professionals in companies with telecommuters, it’s important to remember that workers who work from home have the same right to be healthy and safe on the job as those who work in the company’s facility.

Click here for information on an employer’s duty under the OHS laws to ensure the health and safety of telecommuters.

For example, you should ensure that a telecommuter’s work space is safe and free from hazards, such as unstable shelves or trip-and-fall hazards. Click here for a telecommuter office safety checklist.

And remember—in general, a worker who gets hurt on the job is entitled to workers’ comp. Do you think this rule applies to a telecommuter who gets hurt while working from home’ Click here for a quiz based on this issue and the answer.