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Employers should consider the effect of two developments that will impact increasingly on their workforces over the coming years – an ageing population and working remotely from the office.

Working remotely from the office

As the workforce becomes more mobile and employers come to grips with the practical reality of accommodating flexible work practices, more employees will undoubtedly seek the benefits of working remotely from the office. Having employees working remotely can have enormous benefits for both employers and employees. It allows employees to fulfil family obligations and responsibilities, to save on travel costs and commuting times and to enjoy a better work life balance. In return it allows employers to accommodate flexible work practices, to be more mobile and accessible to clients, potentially reduce fixed costs, and keep employees happy.

However, whether employees work in the more traditional office, or remotely (for example from home), employers are still under a legal obligation to ensure that their employees are not exposed to any health and safety risks. This means that an employer must undertake risk assessments for remote workers in the same way they are obligated to do so for office based workers. For example, a comprehensive risk assessment of an employee’s ‘workstation’ and training should always be conducted before an employer agrees to allow an employee to work remotely. It is important that employees working from home, for example, are doing so from a designated work area and that any risks identified are either eliminated or reduced.

The assessment of the safety of a remote working environment can be complex given the often many changing variables. Similarly, heavy reliance is often placed on the employee to identify and report risks to the employer about ongoing risks, even though the obligation rests on the employer. Some steps an employer can take to ensure that an employee’s work environment is safe includ

• Assess whether the role is suitable to perform remotely or from home i.e. can it be done safely away from the office? Does the employee require special equipment?
• Ensure that the employee has all the necessary equipment required to safely undertake work away from the office. i.e. do they have a proper workstation set up? Desk, chair, computer?
• Assess whether the environment itself is safe – i.e. is there sufficient lighting? Is there a smoke detector? Are there clear exits? Does the employee have easy access to a fire extinguisher and first aid kit?
• Ensure that the employee has the information and training necessary to do the work safely i.e. with regards to the equipment they will be using.
• Agree hours of work and communication procedures. This is very important for workers compensation purposeAs the number of remote workers in Australia grows, it is important that these employees are provided with the training and equipment to ensure a safe set up away from the traditional office environment. Assuming employers and employees can meet these new safety challenges, the benefits of remote working can be enjoyed by all involved.

As the number of remote workers in Australia grows, it is important that these employees are provided with the training and equipment to ensure a safe set up away from the traditional office environment. Assuming employers and employees can meet these new safety challenges, the benefits of remote working can be enjoyed by all involved.

Ageing workforce

The Australian workforce has more workers over the age of 55 than it did 10 years ago and this trend is only likely to increase into the future. Evidence tells us that employers are finding that more workers are staying in their jobs for longer as a combination of economic and social factors encourage these employees to delay their retirement. In such an ageing population, accommodating an older workforce by setting up, and ensuring, that the right occupational health and systems are in place, is essential. Careful treatment of these issues is required so as not to breach any age discrimination laws.

Certain attributes associated with older workers may make them more vulnerable to particular types of occupational injuries, especially in physically demanding work environments. Therefore, it is important that employers understand these characteristics, and the needs of their employees, so that they can, where necessary, implement policies and strategies to reduce the risks in the workplace.

Managing the risks faced by older employees can also have wider benefits across an organisation. The causes of workplace injuries are often similar for employees of all age groups, meaning that those policies and strategies that reduce workplace hazards and improve health and productivity will undoubtedly benefit employees of all ages.

Action to prevent harm to older workers in the workplace should be based upon an assessment of the tasks an employee performs, their working environment, the tools and equipment they use and their abilities.

In the risk assessment process employers should:

• Involve employees and tell them what is being done to reduce risks.

• Ensure that a person (regardless of age) is suited to the task and can carry it out safely.

• Adapt duties to suit older workers i.e. an older worker with reduced physical strength may spend more time operating machinery than labouring.

• Rotate physically demanding or repetitive tasks.

• Provide ergonomically-designed workstations for all employees.

• Regularly assess stress levels of employees and implement stress management training if required.

• Train all employees in injury prevention strategies. However, it is important to note that as you age, the pace and way that you learn changes, meaning that training requirements may be different for older workers, and training may require to repetition.

• Ensure that workplace lighting is adequate for the job at hand.

• If appropriate to your workplace/business offer older employees flexible work arrangements (permanent part-time, reduced hours, fixed term contracts, home working, temporary etc.).

Conclusion

An ageing workforce and increases in remote workforces pose challenges to employers looking to reduce the risk of injury claims and prosecutions by the safety regulators. Careful consideration should be given to these issues in a systematic manner, rather than treating them on an ad hoc basis.