Risks Still Exist
Despite a lot of us working from home this month, construction sites, factories and similar workplaces are still open and thus at risk of workplace accidents. It is also important to be aware that for those working at home, health and safety requirements should be integrated into the home working environment through the set-up of a specific work area that is ergonomically sound and safe.
Never Underestimate First Aid Training
According to the HSE, in 2019/20, 693,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey, with 65,427 injuries to employees being RIDDOR reportable and 111 of these accidents being fatal.
When serious injuries occur in the workplace, the administration of first aid as soon as possible gives the injured person the best chance of recovery, and in some cases, survival. For example, if an accident results in severe bleeding, it needs to be controlled quickly. If not, the injured person could lose a lot of blood, become unresponsive and possibly develop shock which is a life-threatening condition. If this does happen and the person stops breathing, CPR can save a person’s life through buying time for the emergency services to reach the scene of an incident; in some cases, it can double the chances of survival.
Therefore, having trained first aiders in the workplace is essential so that if the worst does happen, there are people there who know what do to in emergency situations.
Health and Safety at Home
Although the types of accidents you could experience at home whilst working are a lot less minor, say scalding your finger on a too-hot mug or tripping over a cable, health and safety is still an important yet neglected part of home-working.
Hazards to consider include:
- Lone working – There will always be greater risks for lone workers with no direct supervision or anyone to help them if things go wrong. Keep in touch with lone workers, including those working from home, and ensure regular contact to make sure they are healthy and safe.
- Working with Display Screen Equipment (DSE) – For those people who are working at home on a long-term basis, the risks associated with using display screen equipment (DSE) must be controlled. This includes them doing workstation assessments at home. Employers should provide workers with advice on completing their own basic assessment at home.
- Stress and mental health – If contact with work is poor whilst working from home, workers may feel disconnected, isolated or abandoned. This can affect stress levels and mental health. It is important that proper support is in place to care for employee mental health.
A Safe Working Environment Equals Safe Staff
In conclusion, it is important that staff have a safe working environment no matter if they are in an office, on a construction site or at home. A key way to achieve this is by having suitable and sufficient numbers of first aid trainers in these workplaces and home-working procedures in place in order to protect and support your employees.
To help with this, for the month of January only we are offering 10% off our CPR Essentials (RoSPA Accredited) and Communication Skills e-learning courses with the code ‘Safety10‘! The first course provides the basic knowledge required to assist anyone who may be having cardiac failure whilst the latter can help make sure you know how to clearly communicate with colleagues and employees, which is especially useful for remote working.