Over the previous 12 months, distant work has develop into the norm for many people, and it appears like it might proceed that means.
Roughly four out of ten Canadians have jobs that may be carried out from residence, and outcomes from a latest Statistics Canada survey, counsel that many Canadians will proceed working from residence as soon as the pandemic is over.
Remote work presents many advantages, however it additionally comes with a singular set of challenges. One in all these challenges is making certain the health and safety of distant workers.
Whereas your Joint Well being and Security Committee (JHSC) is considered one of your biggest allies in attaining workplace wellbeing, the shift to distant work has left many organizations unsure about how their JHSC ought to operate on this new work environment.
Beneath are solutions to the most typical questions on JHSCs and distant work in addition to some finest practices in case your JHSC members are working from residence.
If workers are working remotely do I nonetheless want a JHSC?
In Ontario JHSC requirements outlined beneath Occupational Well being and Security Act (OHSA) apply even when your workers are working from residence. Because of this if you’re a provincial employer in Ontario with 20 or extra workers, you continue to want to have an lively JHSC with at the least two licensed members (one employee worker and one administration). In case your group has greater than 50 workers, your JHSC wants at the least two licensed members (one employee worker and one administration) and at the least two further members.
Study extra about JHSC member roles in our article Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Composition, Roles, and Responsibilities.
Are JHSC obligations totally different in a distant workplace?
Your JHSC performs a key function in your Internal Responsibility System (IRS) — the inspiration of a wholesome and safe workplace. As a result of distant work nonetheless has health and safety points, it’s essential to determine these points and options to management them.
The function of your JHSC is to assist elevate consciousness of those health and safety points and assist talk them to the employer and workers.
Listed below are a number of the duties your distant JHSC should proceed to carry out:
- Conduct inspections (if attainable)
- Establish hazards
- Maintain common conferences
- Focus on safety considerations raised by workers
- Develop suggestions to tackle hazards
Do JHSCs want to perform month-to-month inspections for distant workplaces?
The reply to this may rely upon how your group is at the moment working. Ask your self, “does anyone visit the physical workplace?” If the reply is sure, then a member of your JHSC should proceed to carry out a month-to-month inspection of this workplace.
Nearly all of your workers may work remotely, but when there are situations wherein an worker or non-worker could be at your workplace, you want to guarantee your location is safe and compliant.
The inspection ought to be carried out by an authorized JHSC member, if attainable, and they need to observe inspection necessities, together with documenting their findings, recording inspection outcomes, and bringing these outcomes again to the committee to make suggestions. Learn extra about how your JHSC should conduct physical workplace inspections.
In case your group has gone absolutely distant and not rents or owns a bodily location, then take into account partnering together with your JHSC to develop an inspection course of for distant workers, as we focus on under.
Greatest Practices for Remote JHSCs
In case your workers are working from residence, it may be tougher for the committee to fulfill its obligations. The next finest practices can assist make your JHSC efficient in a distant work environment.
1. Schedule Digital JHSC Conferences
It may be simple to neglect to meet when members aren’t in a bodily workplace.
Whether or not your JHSC meets each three months (the minimal requirement) or extra, it’s a good suggestion to schedule your conferences out for the complete 12 months. This can give members time to free their schedules and put together for conferences.
Be certain that all members have the data they want earlier than the digital assembly. Ship out health and safety updates from the employer and minutes from earlier conferences properly upfront. For extra finest practices for JHSC conferences, learn our article.
Since assembly notes can’t be posted on a bodily health and safety board, guarantee JHSC members understand how to share notes with the remainder of the group. You may decide to publish them on an worker portal or electronic mail them to workers.
2. Develop a Remote Office Self-Inspection Course of
In case your workplace is closed, on-website inspections won’t be attainable, however employers nonetheless want to educate JHSC members on hazards that might have an effect on distant workers.
These hazards embrace however aren’t restricted to:
Employers ought to work with an ergonomics assessor and their JHSC to develop self-inspection processes for residence places of work. Offering instruments like workstation set-up checklists, psychological health assets, and ergonomics training can assist JHSC members and workers create a more healthy and extra productive distant work environment.
It’s additionally value noting that if, or when, you propose to reopen your workplace, your JHSC ought to carry out a workplace inspection earlier than reopening. In case you are contemplating bringing workers and prospects again into your workplace, learn up on 10 important questions you should ask yourself before reopening.
3. Encourage Worker Communication
Generally workers could not really feel comfy discussing sure points with their supervisors. That’s why it’s essential to preserve communication open between workers and your JHSC. However with out bodily inspections, workers have fewer alternatives to elevate their health and safety considerations to JHSC members.
Holding month-to-month digital open-door conferences is a good resolution that enables distant workers to speak to their JHSC about any considerations. Nameless electronic mail surveys may also be helpful to collect worker suggestions about extra private points like psychological health.
4. Keep Licensed with Digital JHSC Coaching
Holding your JHSC members skilled and licensed is important to the wellbeing of everybody in your group. It’s additionally a authorized requirement.
Distance studying programs are a handy means for members to full coaching remotely. Contributors get to be taught from an knowledgeable facilitator and work together with JHSC members from different organizations with out leaving their properties.
To develop into JHSC licensed:
To remain licensed:
How Employers Can Help Their Remote JHSC
It’s essential to present your distant JHSC members with the assets they want to be efficient. Serving to your JHSC set up a number of the finest practices listed above is a good place to begin.
Listed below are some further methods you possibly can assist your JHSC:
- Preserve JHSC members knowledgeable about altering insurance policies and pandemic updates, so if or if you do reopen, members are up to date
- Encourage common communication between your JHSC and management group with digital examine-ins
- Have fun your health and safety successes, and make sure that your workers know that figuring out hazards will not be an indication of failure, however a step in the direction of enchancment
- Preserve your JHSC members’ coaching up to date, and provide distance studying when attainable
OSG at the moment presents all JHSC programs in our digital classroom for a safe and interactive studying expertise. In case you are inquisitive about reserving JHSC coaching, you possibly can learn more here, or try our upcoming courses.