OHS Body of Knowledge New Chapter: 'Workers Working from Home'

The OHS Body of Knowledge has released its latest chapter titled ‘Workers Working from Home’.

The new chapter shifts thinking away from the ergonomic checklist to the entirely different paradigm of a holistic focus and agenda for priorities for the design of work for working from home.

The chapter sets out clearly that working from home is not just a translation of the work from the office to home and needs different thinking, support and mindsets from leaders.

The chapter compiles important information from OHS professionals in the field (survey and interview) that have informed eight key themes.

These themes informed by high-quality empirical data provided the underpinning principles for the model of the design of work for working from home.

The AIHS said the chapter is a must-read for any OHS professional who leads in the new normal of working from home.

“Working from home, in some form, has always been a feature of work. The recent Covid-19 pandemic and the government recommendation for workers to work from home where possible has cast new light on working from home, and in particular the health and safety implications,” the chapter says.

“With working from home likely to be a significant feature in ongoing working arrangements it is vital that we learn from the recent experience to optimise the outcomes of working from home for the worker and for the organisation.”

“Building on the limited literature, this chapter draws on the outcomes of a survey and interviews with OHS professionals to develop principles for OHS practice to inform the design of work for working from home.”

The OHS Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals was developed in response to an identified need to define the collective knowledge that should be shared by Australian Generalist OHS Professionals. Learn more here.