FACTS

1. Remote work, home office, work from home, telework are some of the terms used to describe settings where workers are not physically present in the office of their employer or the purchaser of their services. The concept mainly works for jobs and tasks that involve a large amount of screen work. The advancement of digitalization and the shift to a more knowledge-based economy in many countries have made the option of remote work more realistic for employers and employees. For example, roughly half of all jobs could be done in a remote setting in the United States.
2. Being sedentary might pose a higher risk to employees working at home because they’re not getting up to attend meetings or talk to their coworkers face to face.

• Work equipment lying all over the floor – box files, mounds of paperwork etc.
• Lifting – accidents that are caused by lifting heavy objects are the cause of many lower back and neck injuries, in particular. Whilst lifting accidents happen more often in an industrial setting, lifting heavy boxes and office equipment can still be the cause of injury/ in offices too.
• Objects falling from height – in an office setting these types of accidents usually involve boxes or heavy files falling from high up shelves or large cupboards, falling onto a nearby worker.
• Workstations – if they are not properly set up for the specific individual user, then a number of injuries can occur to the employee – back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome (pressure on a nerve in the wrists) and eye strain are just some of the problems that can be caused by an incorrectly set up work station.
• Stress at work – everyone can get stressed out at work from time to time. However, stress that is caused by acts or omissions by the employer and that happen repeatedly over a period of time, can leave the employer facing a claim from the affected employee.

STATS

• For companies outside the tech sector and those not yet ordered by health officials to enact social-distancing protocols, mandating work at home has been more complicated. In 2017-18, only about 25 percent of U.S. workers worked at home at least occasionally and only 15 percent had days on which they only worked at home, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• The Health and Safety Executive’s statistics for 2018/2019, reveal that there were 581,000 self-reported accidents at work causing non-fatal injuries during the year.
• According to Injury Facts, 167,127 people died from unintentional injury-related deaths in 2018.
• In 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, industry in the United States reported 5,188 fatalities. Dr. E.
• In 10 minutes, in the United States, preventable incidents will cause:
• Three people to die
• 885 people to suffer an injury severe enough to require a doctor or medical professional
• $19.68 million in costs