Rights to a safe working environment: home office ergonomics

Abstract

Home Office or Teleworking grew exponentially, mainly with the emergency and imperative need to adapt work due to the pandemic of Covid-19. Aiming to expand the existing discussions about the subject, exposing current regulations and means of application of Occupational Safety and Medicine and develop a simplified form of ergonomic analysis of the telework environment Method: the legislation was analyzed with emphasis on the company responsibility to provide the right means to perform the jobs properly and to highlight the ergonomic risks offered by the telework environment and, a simplified ergonomic evaluation form to be applied in the Home Office was developed. Different forms of teleworking were identified, the regulation of telematic work, the risk factors for the workers’ health and safety and the difficulty in inspecting jobs outside company's facilities. The infrastructure at home, the lack of employer supervision and the conditions offered by the employer to perform of the job contain guidelines that clashes with the Federal Constitution. An analysis model was developed to assist in the assessment of the work environment and show the employer the non-conformities presented in this assessment, also serving as causal link in the case of accidents and occupational diseases.