Labor Dept. to Stay Out of Home Offices

The Labor Department has issued a promised policy statement that says it will not hold companies responsible for the safety of telecommuting employees’ home offices.

“Family-friendly, flexible and fair work arrangements, including telecommuting, can benefit individual employees and their families, employers and society as a whole,” said the written directive, sent to regional offices Friday by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The directive says the government:

* Will not inspect employees’ home offices, expect employers to inspect them or hold companies liable for the offices’ safety conditions.

* May pass complaints received from workers about home office safety on to employers, but will do no follow-up.

Under the new rules, companies can be held responsible for safety problems with at-home jobs other than office work. That could include things such as manufacturing piecework involving “materials, equipment or work processes which the employer provides or requires to be used in an employee’s home.”

However, even risky at-home work sites will be inspected only if the government gets complaints.

In January, amid criticism from businesses and Capitol Hill, the Labor Department withdrew an advisory letter telling a Texas credit services firm it was legally responsible for the safety of its sales executives whether they worked at home or in the office.

Nevertheless, Congressional Republicans promised to investigate. To further mollify Congress, the agency promised to issue the formal directive clarifying the matter.