HSE Reminds Employers of Legal Health and Safety Duties to Home Workers

The following is an abridgement of an article originally published by HSE Press Office.

Employer Responsibilities for Remote Workers

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reminded employers that they hold the same legal health and safety duties for home workers as they do for office-based staff. According to the regulator, employers must assess risks for all remote workers, focusing on three essential areas: stress and mental health, the safe use of display screen equipment, and the working environment, which includes accidents, emergencies, and lone working.

Citing January 2026 data from the Office for National Statistics, the HSE noted that 38 percent of workers in Great Britain operate under remote or hybrid arrangements.

HSE Guidance

The HSE stated that employers are not required to physically visit a worker's home to fulfill their legal duties, as risks are typically low and manageable through regular communication and free guidance provided by the regulator.

"The good news for bosses is you don’t need to physically visit someone’s home to fulfil your duties, most of the time, the risks are low and the steps to manage them are straightforward... Practically, this means managers keeping in regular contact with their teams, talking openly about workloads and training needs, and making sure people aren’t under pressure to work outside their normal working hours. It also means having simple conversations about the physical environment by asking staff to visually check that their equipment is safe and not damaged, keeping work areas clear of trailing wires or obstructions, and making sure everyone knows what to do in an emergency," stated Barbara Hockey of the HSE Engagement and Policy Division.