In a world where more of us are adopting a hybrid or fully remote working pattern, it is easy to overlook the fact that although employees may not physically be in the office, an employers responsibility to ensure they are operating in a safe and secure environment remains the same.
Laura Spears, Head of People and Operations at Marbral Advisory, looks at why this is a serious topic and introduces a simple solution.
Guy Osmond of Osmond Ergonomics, an expert in the workplace health, warns that without the correct set ups, workers risk developing long term health issues, including potentially debilitating back problems.
Guy says: “I fear we are facing a tsunami of musculoskeletal health issues amongst the population of workers who shifted rapidly to homeworking during the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, the ‘temporary’ set ups and makeshift arrangements they adopted have been allowed to continue, as many employers have allowed their risk assessment schedules to drift. Two years down the line, many of those workers are paying the price.’’
A simple and effective way to ensure that companies meet their obligations is to implement an Agile DSE training and Assessment tool for their remote or hybrid workforce. Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments help in improving the health, wellbeing and morale of employees and are a fundamental part of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
At Marbral Advisory, a leading Jersey change management consultancy, we have designed and curated a suite of eLearning courses covering a range of topics to support businesses, helping them to navigate complex topics, cover policies and meet compliance requirements.
Marbral’s Agile DSE eLearning is a short (30 minute) interactive and factual course which educates the learner about the risks of poor workstation set up and considers the environment that they are working in.
The course looks at how musculoskeletal injury can be caused, and avoided, as well as the importance of good lighting and the impact other environmental aspects can have. It touches on the importance of secure internet and safe storage in the home workspace, as well as unexpected home hazards that you might not necessarily consider.
As part of the course, the learner can download the DSE Assessment form and carry out their own workstation assessment to identify any risk areas and then share with their employer. The form and course can also be customised with branding and any business specific content.
The course is suitable for workers in both the home and office workplace and is a handy tool for employers wanting to ensure their workforce is operating safely and meet their health and safety obligations by retaining course completion certificates and the DSE assessments.
We all know that people are our greatest business asset. It’s vital that we take great care of them in world of constant business change.
For any further information on e-learning, or to discuss change management support, please contact the friendly team at Marbral Advisory:
Main Picture: Laura Spears, Head of People and Operations at Marbral Advisory
