Working From Home Compensation Claims Explained

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, many workers have been made to adapt and work from home. Although personal injury claims usually cover office spaces and other higher-risk workplaces – you may be surprised to know that personal injury law does cover other areas while working from home.

 

Although you are likely in a low-threat environment from the comfort of your own home, issues can occur when having to work from home which may include having the correct equipment to protect the eyes when being exposed to screens, the correct equipment to promote good posture and other ergonomic equipment that needs to be provided by an employer. Failure to adhere to HSE regulations applies to office spaces so you won’t be surprised to learn that this also applies to work from home. As this article will discuss, employers have a responsibility for their clients and damage caused by bad posture or to eyes from lack of equipment can be negligence.

 

Back Injury Claims – Posture When Working From Home

 

As mentioned, most claims that are made against employers occur from accidents at work due to the work premises being unsafe or action wasn’t taken to protect employers from various risks around the premises. With the outbreak of COVID-19 and social distancing and work measures having to be introduced – the lines have been blurred on what rights employees have when working from home and therefore what personal injury laws and HSE laws apply when they have changed work settings from their office or business environment.

 

Damage to the back caused by poor posture is an issue that exists in office working environments but with employees having to adapt to home working – bad posture at home leads to a serious risk of sustained or permanent damage to the back. Although employers have a ‘duty of care’ to protect workers and warn them of the potential dangers to their health in the workplace – they still need to take action to protect workers when working from home. Employers must warn employees of the potential dangers in their workplace at home as well as ensure that equipment provided for work is in good working order. 

 

If you feel that you are suffering due to back injuries and have not been provided with the relevant equipment to prevent you from suffering from your injuries – you may be entitled to claim for compensation in certain cases. Get in touch if you want to discuss this in further detail or find out more about making a back injury claim that is due to lack of proper ergonomic equipment or guidelines required.

 

DSE Equipment – Making a Personal Injury Claim

Another type of claim that may arise from working from home may be the lack of sufficient training provided although this may be a difficult claim to pursue. It is also likely that members of staff are using DSE equipment such as laptop or computer screens or other devices. 

 

It is very important that equipment is updated and complies with DSE regulations. Should equipment provided be deemed incapable of protecting you from eye damage and you have not been provided with new equipment – this could make the basis for a claim.

 

Although the duty of care when working from home is largely down to you as the homeowner or tenant, employers are still required to ensure that you have all of the tools and skills available to complete work safely. 

 

According to the HSE, the following need to be considered by employers when employees are working from home:

 

• How will employers keep in touch with employees?
• What work activity will employees be doing (and for how long)?
• Can it be done safely?
• Does the employer need to put control measures in place to protect employees?

To find out further information or to get in touch, use an online contact form on our website or telephone now.