Occupational safety inspections of home working conditions are now available online!
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced employers to take many unprecedented steps in corporate management. The proven and effective way to prevent the spread of the pandemic was to significantly reduce human contact. Workplaces where large numbers of employees were present in large, open-plan offices and other spaces were practically emptied in order to maintain safe operations. The vast majority of employees performed their tasks from home using the IT tools available to them. Employers recognized that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic was that they could gain both economic and corporate management benefits from remote working. As further waves of the pandemic are expected, several smaller and larger employers have already decided to make working from home, which was initially a necessity, a permanent feature. However, there are clear and consistent rules for this from an occupational safety perspective.
Occupational safety legislation
According to the Occupational Safety Act, before authorizing teleworking, the employer must conduct a risk assessment to ensure that the employee's home workplace meets the requirements for safe working conditions. The legislation in force allows for the risk assessment to be carried out online, provided that the person carrying out the assessment has the necessary professional qualifications.
Risk assessment
Due to the sudden increase in demand, we designed and developed our new software, which fully complies with occupational safety regulations. Using the online interface, home workplace assessments can be carried out quickly, economically, and on a large scale, avoiding personal contact. With the help of the software, employers can provide their employees with secure access to an online interface for self-assessment of their home workplaces. Employees accessing this interface answer questions about their home workplaces with yes or no answers. They take photos of their workstation and easily upload them to the program. The software also requires employees to read e-learning training materials on the rules for working from home. The software checks that the training material has been learned by having employees complete a series of tests. The completed test, including the answers and photos, is then saved and submitted with a single click. The data obtained in this way is analyzed and evaluated by our colleagues authorized to perform professional activities, who then provide their opinion using the software. At the end of the process, the software also generates a PDF file containing all the data relevant to occupational safety for compliance with the rules of teleworking. The PDF file is sent to the employer after evaluation. This allows the employer to fulfill their occupational safety obligations as required by law, and the employee to perform their tasks from home within the proper framework.
