Psychosocial Hazards & Remote Working

Responsibility for safety and health at work rests with the employer whether or not that work is being done on site or remotely. Employers must provide a safe work environment and, in doing so, assess the risks and ensure appropriate controls are put in place.  If an employer wishes to offer remote working away from the employer’s normal work premises, they are responsible for organising the work.

The Occupational Safety & Health Guidance on Remote Working provides guidance for employers and employees on roles and responsibilities in relation to remote working, and the remote working risk assessment process. The assessment involves a three-step process.

The steps include:

1. work activity
2. assessment of hazards and
3. monitoring, reviewing, and communicating with employees

It is the employer’s responsibility to proactively ensure that the assessment is completed for each employee by a suitably trained, competent person and account is taken of changing circumstances.

Psychosocial hazards are factors in the design or management of work that have the potential to cause harm to a person’s psychological wellbeing. Harm to psychological wellbeing means harm to mental health and changes in subsequent behaviour. Psychosocial hazards increase the risk of work-related stress (WRS) and can have other psychological or physical consequences.

In the standard ‘on-site workplace’, examples of psychosocial hazards include conflict, bullying, high demands, low control, role confusion, low support, and improper communication (e.g., shouting, not communicating at all, or mumbling). Exposure to one or more of these hazards on an on-going basis can cause harm. This is why early intervention and communication of issues is crucial.

There are specific and non-specific factors which aggravate occupational safety and health (OSH) psychosocial risks in remote work settings. These can differ in many ways to those which apply to ‘on-site working’. More information related to the OSH psychosocial risks associated with ‘on-site working’ can be found here: Psychosocial Hazards Information Sheet.

In the remote setting, there are factors that aggravate OSH psychosocial risks which are separate to those which apply generally. Psychosocial risks associated with remote working are the result, firstly, of the different direct circumstances or systems of work which prevail at the remote work site (e.g., domestic setting or remote working hub). They are also the result of indirect circumstances – the social and psychological environmental factors pertaining. There is a third issue related to lack of familiarity with risk prevention and management systems in place where the workforce is mainly working off site.

For any risk assessment, the physical and psychosocial circumstances must be assessed as well as the access to, and the availability of supports and controls, training, management, professional development and acknowledgement of dignity and respect at work. This must be done in all work situations and locations (e.g., on site and remote working).

Introduction 

This information below will help employers, employees and assessors understand the risks and the management of work-related musculoskeletal health for employees who work at computer workstations in an office / domestic setting / remote working hub. It should be considered alongside the Occupational Safety & Health Guidance on Remote Working and the Checklist.

• Guidance and FAQs on Display Screen Equipment (DSE) which were developed for the “non-remote” work environment but apply equally in a remote working setting
• Videos which give useful tips on managing risk related to work at computer workstations

Guidance

• Display Screen Equipment Guidance 
• Display Screen Equipment FAQs 

Videos 

• BeSMART.ie Short Video in Display Screen Equipment

 

1. What is remote working?

Remote working refers to work activities undertaken away from the employer’s normal work premises including in a domestic setting or a remote working hub.

2. What is a remote work location or setting?

A remote work location refers to the location where the staff member carries out their work away from their designated office.

3. What are employer responsibilities in relation to remote working?

The responsibility for safety and health at work rests with the employer regardless of whether an employee works remotely or at the employer’s premises. Employers must provide a safe work environment and, in doing so, assess the risks and ensure appropriate controls are place to safeguard employees at work.

4. What are employee responsibilities in relation to remote working?

Employees working remotely have a responsibility to take reasonable care while at work, and must:

• Co-operate with their employer and follow agreed safety procedures,
• Protect themselves from harm during their work; for example, use any equipment provided correctly and report any defects immediately to the employer, and
• Report any injury arising from the work activity to their employer immediately

5. What is a Remote Work Assessment?

A Remote Work Assessment refers to the assessment carried out by a competent and trained assessor of the employee’s identified workplace.

To address the changing nature of remote work or work location, a Remote Work Assessment for the employee should be completed.

This should follow the three steps and associated checklist question as defined in the Occupational Safety and Health Remote Working Checklist. See here. Further, the assessment should incorporate additional information, guidance, advice, training, and instructions to support the employee when setting up their workstation.

If the employee is working in a remote working hub, employers may need to consult with the operator of the remote working hub.

6. Who carries out the Remote Work Assessment?

The Remote Work Assessment will be carried out by a competent trained person. A competent person is someone with sufficient training, experience and knowledge who can carry out the assessment.

7. What is assessed in a Remote Work Assessment?

The assessment involves a three-step process.

The steps include (1) an assessment of the work activity, (2) an assessment of the hazards and (3) monitoring, reviewing, and communicating with employees.

It is the employer’s responsibility to proactively ensure that the assessment is completed for each employee by a suitably trained, competent person and account is taken of changing circumstances.

8. In what situations does a Remote Work Assessment have to be carried out again?

Further assessment is required in certain situations. This includes when:

• The nature of the work changes
• There are changes in the location of the employee’s place of work
• The duration of remote work changes
• There are changes in the location of the workstation

• Occupational Safety and Health Guidance for Remote Working - Click Here
• Occupational Safety and Health Checklist for Remote Working - Click Here
• HSA ‘Position Yourself Well’ infographic (PDF), to advise employees on setting up an ergonomic workspace - Click Here
• HSA Guide for employers on ‘Work Related Stress’ - Click Here
• ‘Making Remote Work’ is Ireland’s National Remote Work Strategy – Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment - Click Here
• Guidance for Working Remotely - Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment - Click Here