Home Workspace & Telecommuting Safety Policy

  1. POLICY

ABC Company employees approved to perform their job duties from home (“telecommute”) are responsible for working safely. ABC Company reserves the right to deny an employee the opportunity to telecommute or revoke an existing telecommuting arrangement with an employee for failure to comply with the health and safety obligations set forth in this Policy.

 

  1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Policy is to establish clear ground rules, procedures and protocols to ensure that telecommuting work is carried out safely and in compliance with OHS laws and other applicable regulations and standards.

 

  1. HOME WORKSPACE HAZARD ASSESSMENT

Employees must designate an area or room where they intend to establish and maintain their workspace. ABC Company must approve the designated workspace as part of the process for approving the overall telecommuting arrangement. In deciding whether to provide its approval, ABC Company will send a representative to conduct an on-site inspection of the workspace and complete the Home Workspace Hazard Assessment Inspection Checklist (attached to this Policy as Attachment A) to verify that it is:

  • Appropriate for the work;
  • Well lit;
  • Properly ventilated;
  • Free of obstructions and trip and fall hazards;
  • Equipped with appropriate first aid supplies and equipment;
  • Free of mould, biohazards and other hazardous materials;
  • Free of electrical hazards;
  • Secure;
  • Ergonomically safe; and
  • Compliant with fire and building codes.

Alternative [Instead of a site inspection, you can do a virtual inspection using videotape and/or detailed photos and a floor plan of the space that the employee provides.]

 

  1. SAFETY TRAINING & INSTRUCTION

After a telecommuting arrangement is approved but before it can begin, an ABC Company supervisor or other qualified training will train the employee how to work safely from home covering, at a minimum:

  • Safe use of furnishings and equipment;
  • Fire and electrical hazards;
  • Hazardous products;
  • Ergonomic safety;
  • Emergency evacuation and communications;
  • Hygiene and housekeeping; and
  • Inspection and incident reporting procedures.

Failure to successfully complete this training will be grounds for revoking approval of the telecommuting arrangement.

 

  1. ON-SITE SAFETY INSPECTIONS
  • When Site Inspections Will Take Place

After the telecommuting arrangement begins, the employee will give an ABC Company representative access to the site to perform regular inspections [specify interval, e.g., every 2 months]. ABC Company also reserves the right to perform site inspections after injuries, illnesses, incidents, complaints or other indications that hazards may be present, as well as in response to significant changes to the workspace design, configuration, furnishings, equipment, conditions or uses.

  • Site Inspection Procedures

All site inspections will be performed with the employee’s consent by a properly authorized ABC Company supervisor, member of the joint health and safety committee or other representative following Company inspection protocols. The employee will receive at least 48 hours’ notice of the inspection at a mutually agreeable time. The inspector will notify the employee of the inspection results and, if necessary, instruct the employee to take actions to correct any health and safety problems. ABC Company reserves the right to perform follow-up inspections of the workspace to ensure identified problems are fixed and corrective measures properly implemented.

  • Consequences of Failed Inspections

The following will be grounds for immediate termination of the telecommuting arrangement:

  • Repeated or significant health and safety violations;
  • The employee’s failure to implement the required corrective actions; and/or
  • The employee’s obstruction of or unreasonable refusal to undergo inspection.

 

  1. EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN

Employees must work with their supervisors to create an appropriate and effective emergency evacuation plan for the home workspace and test it successfully before the telecommuting arrangement can begin.

 

  1. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

ABC Company will ensure that employees have radio, telephonic or other electronic communication equipment necessary to call for help in case of an emergency. ABC Company will test the equipment and ensure the employee knows how to use it. Each side will furnish complete emergency contact information to the other.

 

  1. SAFE WORK PROCEDURES

Employees working from home must follow safe work practices and maintain the home workspace in a safe condition, free from hazards and other dangers. Where necessary, ABC Company will develop and implement a written procedure for checking the well-being of a telecommuter that may include:

  • Specification of required time intervals between checks;
  • Procedures to follow in case the telecommuter cannot be contacted, including provisions for emergency rescue;
  • Designation of a contact person responsible for establishing contact with the telecommuter at predetermined intervals and recording the results in a log;
  • The requirement that a check be performed at the end of the telecommuter’s work shift.

 

  1. INJURY/INCIDENT REPORTING

Employees who telecommute must promptly report any emergency or work-related injury, illness or incident that occurs in their home workspace to their supervisor just as they would if they were working at ABC Company facilities.

 

  1. INJURY/INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Employees recognize and agree that ABC Company has a right to perform an immediate investigation at the home site where the injury or incident occurred in accordance with the Company’s OHS Incident Investigation and Reporting policies and procedures.