HSE publishes health and safety report on homeworking

The
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a report on homeworking
to help staff avoid hazards at home and ensure employers have fulfilled their
health and safety obligations.

Under
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), employers have the same
obligations to protect the health, safety and welfare of homeworkers
who are employees, as they do for employees on-site.

The
report, which has been developed in partnership with companies employing homeworkers, illustrates good health and safety practice
through a selection of case studies developed in the four industry sectors of
textiles, packing/assembling/finishing, electrical and electronic, and business
services and computing.

Jane
Willis, policy director at HSE, said: "These examples of good practice
show how employers and homeworkers can identify
work-related hazards and take appropriate measures to reduce the risks
associated with homeworking."

"Work-related
incidents can affect not just homeworkers, but others
in their home, including children and visitors. With homeworking,
there are special factors, such as the presence of children, which can turn
relatively minor hazards into significant risks, and it is really important
that employers address them."

Copies
of the report can be downloaded from the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr262.htm

By Michael Millar 

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