Home offices appear to be safe spaces to operate. Indeed, a person’s house is where they are most comfortable. However, home office safety is not a guarantee.
Mishaps of all kinds occur often in the household. Furthermore, when workers work from home or a self-employed individual operates a company from home, the possibility of an injury increases. According to a research done by Pew Research center, home offices paved way more after the outbreak of corona virus that led to abrupt closure of many offices.
As per the graph below 71% of people begun working from home during the corona virus pandemic and 54% of them would still prefer to work from home even after the end of the pandemic.
This is due to the fact that home-based employees carry the health risks involved with living in a conventional workplace environment into their homes without the protections that would be present in an out-of-home business entity.
Here are 5 some essential tips you should follow in your home office.
- Nothing should be stored on top of tall cabinets or chairs.
This will invite slips and crashes. Try to keep storage to assigned locations.
- Accidents and damages are often caused by file cabinets.
Avoid placing them near exits or highly trafficked places where open drawers may become a threat.
- You can never open more than one file drawer at a time.
This will sometimes trigger the cabinet to topple over.
- Sharp office tools should be stored safely
Tools such as blades or letter openers, can never be stored in places where they might break and injure anyone. Unless in service, store in a cabinet or other secure spot.
- Verify your chairs and unplug shredder when not in operation
Chairs and other workplace fixtures and fittings should be structurally safe in order to prevent damage. When not in operation, paper shredders and other devices that could inflict physical harm should be switched off and unplugged.
How to Make Home Offices More Safe : 6 Rules To Follow
Whether you or your workers operate from home, you can inform yourself about some of the more prevalent home office risks, as well as the precautions you should take to eliminate the threats and avoid injuries.
Any of the home office safety precautions to take are or should be good judgment. However, it is all too common for someone who works from home to disregard or overlook about simple safety procedures while they go about their everyday routine. Even so, protection is critical and must be tackled even at home. Some of the injuries that affect 1 in 4 people working from home include back pain, neck pain, eye strain and many more.
- Keeping Your Home Office Computer Safe
If you’re not cautious, those computers and other gadgets you depend on to earn a living and operate your company will endanger your financial and personal security. Home-based companies are also as vulnerable to cybercrime as larger corporations.
Fortunately, you can shield the devices from cyberattacks through taking a few simple precautions. If you operate your company from home on a laptop, you must also remember security measures.
If you have to connect a laptop battery pack to a wall plug and then someone falls over the cable, it might knock your laptop off the desk and smash it, or cause the user to fall and be injured, or both.
- Keeping Your Home Office Floor Safe
Floors must be smooth, clean, and rid of broken seams; rugs should be securely fastened to the floor. Floors should be safe of obstacles to prevent tripping, stumbling, and bumping.
Never enable electric or telephone cords to run across walkways. Handrails should be installed on all stairs with four or more levels.
- Dealing With a Fire Hazard Threatening Your Home Office
Fire is one of the most dangerous hazards in the house. Maintain a tidy and transparent office, with unfiled documents and combustible items held to a minimum.
Garbage should be disposed of as soon as possible. Make sure your workplace has a functioning smoke alarm and a proper fire extinguisher.
Develop an exit strategy and ensure fire escapes are secure. Is there a coffeemaker or a space heater in your home office? If so, hold flammable objects, such as sheets, away from its heat sources.
- Maintaining Electrical Safety in Your Home Office
Overburdened electrical circuits are a big trigger for fire, so avoid overloading sockets with too many connectors. If further outlets are needed, get them properly installed by a certified electrician.
Circuit breakers and fuse panels should be clearly labelled and easily available. Electrical sockets, cables, sheets, and receptacles should be in proper working order, with no frayed or loose wires, exposed conductors, or torn insulation.
Old houses with two-wire grounded outlets that include plug adapters would not provide enough security for personal computers; alternatively, three-wire grounded outlets are ideal. Surge protectors can also be attached to computer devices.
Make sure the electrical devices are well ventilated. Phone cables, power cables, and extension wires can be tucked under a desk or around a baseboard.
- Keeping the Home Office Atmosphere Fresh
Bad air quality in the home office may worsen or aggravate a variety of respiratory ailments, including skin, nose, and throat inflammation, and, in the case of carbon monoxide poisoning, possibly death. Here are few suggestions for improving the air quality in your home office.
Operate in a well-ventilated setting. Fans will facilitate. Restrict smoking, as it can cause a pervasive smell indoors, it’s bad for smokers, and it’s bad for nonsmokers who breathe in secondhand smoke.
Handle workplace chemicals with care and only in well-ventilated environments. Keep chemicals, particularly toxic ones, in a clean and secure location. Get a carbon monoxide alarm and mount it.
- Workspaces for Computers : Invest in Ergonomic Solutions
Straightforward ergonomically sound solutions may help to prevent computer-related injuries and incidents. Workstations can be configured in such a way that they are relaxed and do not place undue pressure on the back, head, or neck.
Your machine can be set up on a standard-height desk or a workstation that is specially built for it. Make use of a traditional five-legged computer chair with enough back and arm support.
Place your keyboard immediately in front of you, at around elbow height. Take several breaks to stretch, get up, and walk about.
- Dealing with Kids in your Home Office : Childproof your home office
If you have little children and want them to spend some amount of time in your home office, it’s best to childproof it. Keep all sharp workplace implements out of the control of young children.
Paperweights and other small heavy objects in a child’s hand may also trigger injuries. Keep office chemicals out of sight or in a secure storage location.
Plastic covers can be used to protect empty holes. Use a surge protector or an on/off button that allows you to quickly turn off the power supply.
Get down to your hands to knees and check out any strings that might tangle little feet. Consider holding the children away from the workplace and/or closing the entrance.
Whether you or another employee were wounded in your home workplace, it is important that you have a well-stocked first-aid kit on hand. Consider keeping a different kit for use only in the home office. And, where necessary, get medical attention.
Often keep in mind that when you serve at corporate headquarters or in a remote home office, office protection and the avoidance of work-related accidents and illnesses should be top priorities.
Home Office Safety is an Increasing Challenge
Following the pandemic, several businesses have shifted their operations to operate from home. Furthermore, due in large measure to COVID-19, allowing workers to operate from home at least part of the time has moved from an uncommon luxury provided by some companies to a widespread work schedule.
Accidents that may not be as likely to occur in a traditional business place will become more common as more workers operate from home. Tripping and sliding down a staircase at home, for example, is an all-too-common occurrence.
A job injury occurs when you trip and slip down the same stairs while reviewing a corporate email. Likewise, being hurt as a result of stumbling over the charging cable of a home office worker’s laptop charger can be deemed a workplace accident.
When you merge these variables, you can have a blueprint for impending catastrophe for the self-employed. So make sure to follow the tips in this article to avoid any accidents in the future! Good luck!