HAMILTON, ON (April 1, 2009) –The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has developed a new pocket guide to help people work safely when working from home.
With growing computer use both at work and at home, and advancements in information and telecommunications technology, working outside traditional worksite settings – offsite and in home offices has become a reality for many Canadians. These work arrangements also pose their own set of ergonomic and health and safety issues.
The Telework and Home Office Health and Safety Guide covers all aspects of implementing a comprehensive health and safety program for teleworkers and home-based workers. The main focus of this guide is to learn how to integrate health and safety into home-based office work through telework agreements and the set up of the office.
The Telework and Home Office Health and Safety Guide is 117-pages of clear-language text, charts, diagrams and checklists. Written for home-based office workers and related professionals, this guide provides information such as how to integrate health and safety into everyday practices, ensure compliance with health and safety legislation and due diligence, and how to manage a telework position so the arrangement works best for both the employee and employer. This guide also outlines the importance of ergonomics, work organization, and other safety and security needs that may be unique to a working at home environment.
CCOHS publications are unique in that they are developed by experts in the field, and reviewed by representatives from labour; employers and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible.
More information about the Telework and Home Office Health and Safety Guide is available on the CCOHS website.