Lowering Workers’ Comp Risk for the Florida Church, School or Nonprofit
How does workers’ comp work in Florida with remote workers? What if your employee has an injury while working from home?
Even if your employee will eventually return to work, you’ll need to brush up on workers’ comp and remote work.
The pandemic caused many Florida churches, schools and nonprofits to send employees home to work. In fact, Florida has the highest number of remote workers right now. For many, this pivot was quick; this speed made it impossible for many to change remote workspaces to accommodate their traditional safety guidelines. Today, we’ll cover 3 solutions to minimize your liability risks in the remote work environment.
The Value of a Policy: Priceless
We often hear common myths and misperceptions about workers’ compensation in Florida. We cover those here. As church insurance specialists, we are advocates of even the smallest of organizations securing a workers’ comp policy. Why? Because although Florida law doesn’t require workers’ comp on organizations with fewer than 4 employees, the law does hold the employer liable for lost wages and medical bills-no matter the organization’s size.
Here are 3 Solutions to Common Problems your Church May Face
- Problem: Your church’s workplace safety guidelines don’t address remote work risks.
- Solution: Update your workplace safety guidelines to reflect the main risks associated with a position. Let’s face it, it’s invasive to ask to check around an employee’s personal home. However, every job has inherent risks no matter where the job takes place. Outline those in your updated workplace safety guidelines. Access our top-rated carrier’s workplace safety resources here: https://www.guideone.com/resource-center/safety-resources
- Problem: Remote work is temporary. How can we be expected to change an employee’s home environment before they return to the office?
- Solution: Make realistic, non-intrusive accommodations to prevent injuries common to a job task. One example is to provide reasonable office equipment for desk jobs: a new wrist-friendly mouse pad and ergonomic desk chair to prevent arm, wrist and back fatigue. Keep good records of any agreed upon accomodations.
- Problem: Things have changed fast. They still are. How do we keep up, keep us protected and keep our remote workers safe?
- Solution: Develop a “working familiarity” with what falls under a Florida workers’ comp claim for remote workers. Review that information here.
“Two of the most common risk injuries remote workers face are repetitive motion stress and poor ergonomics.” –The Cannon
