Employers 'responsible for home workers' health and safety'

22 August 2011

Posted by Samuel Couratin

In addition to those individuals who operate from their premises, businesses also have a responsibility over people working from home.

This is the advice issued by XpertHR Employment Law Editor, Bar Huberman, who stated employees should have due diligence completed regardless of where they work and in some cases a health and safety inspection should be carried out in a home.

She explained that firms could be prosecuted for failing to adequately safeguard home workers and carry out risk assessments, adding: "Employers' home workers have almost the same legal protection as those working from the employer's premises."

The expert pointed out that many bosses misguidedly think they are not responsible for the health and safety of members of staff when in their home environment and recommended assessing the suitability of factors such as monitors, workstations and storage arrangements, as well as putting accident reporting procedures in place.

Ms Huberman's comments come in the wake of an Evening Standard article claiming that tens of thousands of workers from leading banks across London will be asked to work from home in order to avoid travel chaos for such employees during the 2012 Olympic Games.