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State: Ntl. Moore: Telecommuting Employee Accidents: Risk Management and Claims Nightmare? : [2020-08-11] |
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The coronavirus pandemic grew what was a “cottage industry” type job to one of the most popular jobs in existence today. Most telecommuting employee accidents will involve in-home hazards. Let us look at the previous telecommuter articles I wrote over the last few months on telecommuting employees since the beginning of the pandemic:
And, below:
Telecommuting employee definition The best way to define telecommuting employees comes from the rate bureaus. The National Council on Compensation Insurance's definition covers approximately 40 states. The other states have independent rating bureaus. The definition (paraphrased):
California’s Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has not officially added the telecommuter code to its manuals. In-home hazards that could cause telecommuting employee accidents According to an article in OMG Top Tens, the following are the top 10 hazards and associated employee accidents in a home office:
The most common type of office accident is the one attributed to furniture corners. Sharp table corners should be covered with protective tabs to prevent accidents; placing furniture pieces with rounded edges can help, too. We have all seen people injure themselves with furniture corners, sometimes seriously. The overhead cabinets in No. 5 could have been ranked higher. A great telecommuter article from SFM pointed out three important considerations in the next two sections:
Planning for safe remote work You can prepare for the safety of your remote workers by creating or reviewing your policies and procedures for remote work:
Safety concerns in home offices As an employer, you can monitor and enforce safety practices at your central office. It becomes more challenging when you do not control your worker’s environment. Do all you can to ensure that employees’ working spaces meet the minimum criteria for safety. Workers may be more complacent in their own homes and disregard tripping hazards or poor ergonomics. A dedicated home workstation is beneficial because, unlike lounging on the couch with a laptop, the workstation can be set up for proper ergonomics. An optimal setup includes:
The above-linked articles have one thing in common: Both were written pre-pandemic. They were not written as a response to any telecommuting employee accidents or current work situation. This blog post is provided by James Moore, AIC, MBA, ChFC, ARM, and is republished with permission from J&L Risk Management Consultants. Visit the full website at www.cutcompcosts.com. |