It is highly likely that your business is very much like many of the other businesses we have dealt with across Australia in recent days. Businesses have been following the advice provided by the government and are sending the workforce home to work to assist in the physical distancing of people and assist in slowing the spread of COROV-19.
When discussing the work from home risk management process with key stakeholders, many of the individuals we have been dealing with have never had workers work from home and if they did, it was often informal and companies have not had any formal work from home policies and procedures in place. A result of this in conjunction with the need for rapid change in work processes has meant workers have been sent home with their laptop and have been advised to set up and work as business as usual in many circumstances.
Business as usual at home is likely to be ok for some workers who have a dedicated home office set up with appropriate ergonomic equipment that allows them to mirror their typical office set up. For others who may not have internet, no formal area of the home to work from and little or no additional equipment beyond the laptop are likely to find working from home to be a challenge as time goes on. In particular, some workers are likely to develop musculoskeletal strains and sprains (neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, upper limb and lower back pain) because they simply cannot set themselves up in a position that is optimal for them.
It is essential that the business undertakes some form of working from home risk assessment to identify any potential high-risk workers, workers who require additional assistance i.e. equipment or software, other work tools so that they can perform their typical job as well as assist all workers in setting up their home workstation.
Corporate Work Health Australia have a team of health professionals (osteopaths, physiotherapist) who have undertaken 1000s of ergonomic assessments collectively and will be able to complete telehealth / teleconference risk assessment and review of self-assessment forms. They are also skilled in being able to provide management advice with regards to how to best manage any particular aches and pains that workers may be experiencing as a result of the change in work environment and/or work tools. Find out more about the various services we offer at https://corporateworkhealth.com.au/covid-19-home-office-workstation-assessments/
