With a steady stream of government mandates progressively locking down states and territories most leaders are directing their teams to work from home to mitigate the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus further. These decisions have risks, albeit they are mostly unavoidable at the moment, which all charities should be aware of. Despite government directives, charities and companies are still obligated to meet Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws.
Australian law requires employers, including charities and their volunteer resources, to ensure (so far as reasonably practicable) the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace. "This includes providing and maintaining a work environment that is without risk to health and safety and adequate facilities for workers in carrying out their work, so far as is reasonably practicable".
The law essentially puts the burden on the employer/charity to identify risks in the workplace and do what is reasonable practicable to remove those risks or where that is not reasonable, to minimise the risks. In the situation of a directive from the charity for employee/volunteer to work from home the workplace is defined as the individual's home and therefore the WHS law is in effect. The Work Health and Safety laws state this includes providing and maintaining a work environment that is without risk to health and safety as well as providing adequate facilities for workers in carrying out their work.
You should have a discussion with your staff/volunteers to ensure their home work area meets WHS standards. This would usually involve a safety assessment of their work area prior to commencing work from home. Given social distancing guidelines now in place this will be difficult to achieve but you can take steps to minimise WHS risks.
As you would do in the workplace it is important to understand if your staff or volunteer has a designated area they can work in which provides sufficient space for them to work without risking an injury such as strain on their back and neck. Trip hazards are a significant risk so ensuring your worker does not have cables, mats or clutter they could trip over or even children's toys will be important.
Adequate lighting to avoid eye strain and glare control is important. Ventilation and room temperature need to be appropriate as does the level of noise and workplaces are to be nonsmoking environments. If your worker's home has stairs this creates a further risk and it is recommended they work on the lower floor if possible.
Whilst we hope this doesn't occur your worker also needs to know their emergency exist plan and they need to ensure the exit path is keep clear of hazards at all times.
Electrical power is a potential risk to working from home. Workers should ensure power outlets are not overloaded and any cords are safely stowed so they do not cause a trip.
To mitigate the risk of injury in the workplace employers consider the desks, position of computers and phone, the type of chairs needed and any other tools appropriate for the work being conducted. When your team works from home charities will need to do their best to address these risks.
Firstly, understanding the home work area set up will be important so any risks that exist can be considered and solutions found, where necessary, to mitigate as much risk as possible. A good example of this is ensuring appropriate desk, monitor or laptop and seat height, tilt, angel and back rest for the individual. Providing a visual guide for your workers is helpful such as this one on the University of Western Australia's Safety, Health and Wellbeing site.
You will need to determine if any tasks cannot be done at home safely and if so ensure workers do not undertake them. If procedures and tasks need to change you will need to ensure your workers are clear on what is required of them.
As you would do in your workplace you need to maintain an incident register for any work from home incidents that occur. An incident in one workers home may give rise to understanding how to mitigate the risks in your others workers' homes.
Worker well-being is another area you will need to manage closely. Regular check ins with your staff over the phone, video meetings and via messenger systems will allow you to address any issues before they become a problem.
The Impact Suite knows this is not an easy area to navigate in the best of times let alone when there is an urgent need. It is important for all charities to understand that even in the event of Australian's being directed to stay in place, the Australian Work Health and Safety laws still apply. To assist you in minimising your charity's risks under this law we have included a Working from Home Safety and Wellbeing Checklist prepared by the Victorian Government.
