Work health and safety (WHS) laws apply when workers work from home just as they do in traditional workplaces such as offices. This means a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure the health and safety of their workers, so far as is reasonably practicable, when working from home.
What is working from home?
Working from home means workers work from their own home, alone or with other household members present.
Working from home arrangements may be:
- ongoing
- temporary or ad hoc
- for all of a worker’s hours, or
- only for part of a worker’s hours (e.g. hybrid arrangements where workers still attend the office part time).
These arrangements may be put in place to suit the needs of:
- the PCBU (e.g. downsizing offices)
- the worker (e.g. less commuting or more flexibility), or
- due to external factors (e.g. public health directions or severe weather events).
Employer responsibilities
Employers have a primary duty of care to ensure the health and safety of their employees. This duty applies to both physical and psychological health and extends to the home when work from home arrangements are in place. PCBUs should:
- ensure the employee’s home work area is free of risks, as far as reasonably practicable
- provide information and guidance on the ideal home office set up and how to identify common risks associated with working from home
- ensure employees have access to the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision to enable them to do their work safely.
Safe Work Australia has an informative guide to cleaning and disinfecting work areas whether in the office or at home.
When implementing work from home arrangements, employers should give consideration to how workplace policies and procedures apply when working from home and modify them if appropriate. Consider:
- how workers notify of incidents, injuries and changes in circumstance
- the consulting and reviewing of work health and safety processes
- arrangements and recording of attendance, timesheets, leave and other entitlements.
General WHS
Both the employer and employee share responsibility for managing general WHS risks in the home environment.
Employers must:
- consider procedures for how work will be performed
- consult with workers when assessing risks in the home environment
- ensure any risk controls put in place are managed and no additional risks are created
- consider in-house safety, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers/blankets
- consider any existing injuries
- test and tag work devices before allowing them to be taken home
- employers should be aware of other responsibilities the worker has in the home environment, such as children and/or a caring role
- encourage regular breaks for stretching and exercise
- encourage regular contact with colleagues.
Workstation set-up
Both employers and workers share the responsibility for setting up a safe work station in the home environment to reduce risks of injury from strains and sedentary work from poor ergonomics.
Employers must consult with workers and HSR’s and take reasonable steps to ensure home work stations are set up correctly.
Employers should:
- provide guidance on how to identify risks in the home environment
- provide information on how to set up a safe home office
- have employees complete a workstation checklist
- allow employees to borrow office equipment and furniture, if practicable
- encourage regular breaks for stretching and exercise
- maintain ongoing discussions with employees regarding their home work environment.
Employee responsibilities
Both the employer and employee share responsibility for managing general WHS risks in the home environment. Employees have an obligation to assess their own health and safety and follow workplace health and safety policies and procedures.
Employees must:
- take care of your health and safety, including your mental health, in the workplace (and at home)
- take care of the health and safety of others that may be affected by your actions
- follow any reasonable policies or directions provided by your employer
- report any incidents or injuries whilst working from home to your employer and HSR
- cooperate with your employer regarding any action they take to comply with WHS legislation. This may include:
- your employer asking you to complete a work from home checklist
- the use office furniture, devices or other assets to achieve satisfactory ergonomics whilst working from home.
Setting up a safe workstation
Both the employer and employee share responsibility for setting up a safe work station in the home environment to reduce risks of injury from strains and sedentary work from poor ergonomics.
Employees must:
- design the work environment to be comfortable and free from slip and trip hazards
- complete a workstation checklist
- check in-house safety, such as smoke alarms and location of fire extinguishers/blankets
- ensure any existing injuries are catered for in the home office setup
- ensure there is sufficient ventilation and lighting
- keep active and take regular breaks for stretching and exercise
- keep in regular contact with colleagues
- talk to the nominated workplace contact if you start to feel stressed due to the work from home arrangement.
Resources to manage working from home
The following resources from Safe Work Australia provide practical guidance on how to meet WHS duties when workers work from home.
PCBU information sheet: This information sheet provides practical guidance for PCBUs on managing WHS risks when workers are doing computer-based work from home.
Workers information sheet: This information sheet provides practical information for workers who are doing computer-based work from home.
Working from home checklist: This checklist is a starting point to help identify common hazards which may be present when working from home. It won’t be suitable for all situations and is not exhaustive so you should adapt it for your circumstances.
Learn how to safely set up your workstation while working from home -
Download the resources for practical information on meeting your WHS duties when working from home.
Further information
Check on how to adjust your workstation properly and reduce your sitting time.