Secure Your Home Office: Safety and Security Tips for Remote Workers

There are many advantages to working remotely but, it’s important to remember safety and security when your home office becomes your full-time workplace. You may not realize it, but there are quite a few risks that come with working from home. It’s a good idea to have some home office safety and security tips in your back pocket. 

Due to the added electrical equipment in your home, the risk for fire and electrical hazards increases when you become a remote worker. Thankfully, there are preventative measures that address each one. Here are a few common home office safety hazards and some simple solutions:

• Overloaded Electrical Circuits – Make sure to use multiple outlets, install new ones if necessary, and use surge protectors whenever possible.
• Cord Clutter – This is one of the most common home office hazards that can be easily remedied with a cord-containing device and cord ties  
• Liquids Near Electrical Equipment – Do you drink coffee or water by your computer every day? Spilling liquids near your electrical equipment could lead to fires, so be mindful!
• Space Heaters and Papers – Keep your space heater or any other hot devices away from flammable materials and try to reduce the number of loose papers you have around.

Accidents happen, so make sure to install a smoke and heat sensor and keep a fire extinguisher nearby. These are two of the most important fire safety devices you should have in your home office.  

Air quality in the workplace is extremely important. Poor air quality can lead to health issues or even death in the case of a gas leak. Here are some tips on how to improve and monitor the air quality in your home office:

• Ventilation – Keep the air flowing in your office by opening a window or investing in a good fan. 
• Proper Use of Gas Appliances – Now that you’re working at home, you may be cooking in your kitchen more often than usual. Even when your mind is occupied with work, you must always remember kitchen safety practices, especially with gas appliances. For example, always make sure the stove is completely turned off after each use. 
• Carbon Monoxide Sensors – Sometimes gas leaks happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them. Carbon monoxide sensors are essential in every household. The Frontpoint Carbon Monoxide Sensor will trigger an alarm and notify the monitoring stations

If you’re working remotely and your child is home too, it’s hard to avoid frequently leaving your desk to check up on them, even if they’re old enough to take care of themselves or you’ve hired supervision.

The best way to monitor your child without disturbing your work is with an indoor camera. You can feel at ease that they’re not in trouble without your knowledge and continue to focus on your tasks, uninterrupted.

If there are child safety hazards present in your home office, you can install a camera there as well. The Frontpoint Indoor Camera allows you to set up motion-triggered recording so you’re notified on your smartphone whenever someone enters without your supervision.   

Becoming a remote worker means you now have more valuable equipment and data present in your home, which is more vulnerable to a break-in than a corporate office. The good news? When you increase the security of your home office, you increase the protection of your entire house!

There are a few basic security products every homeowner should install, especially as a remote worker. If you want to make things even easier for yourself, purchase a smart home security system that can be controlled and monitored all in one place with your smartphone. Here are a few of Frontpoint’s smart security products that all work seamlessly with the Frontpoint mobile app:

• Door and Window Sensors– This is your first line of defense against burglars who somehow get your door or window open.
• Glass Break Sensors – This sensor will trigger your alarm if a burglar were to shatter the glass of a window after failing to break the locks.
• Motion Sensors – If an intruder finds a way to get into the house undetected, the motion sensor will expose them.
• Video Surveillance – This is very useful for reporting crimes as well as preventing them since it may deter burglars once they realize they’re being recorded. You can easily replace your current doorbell with a smart doorbell camera.
• Smart Door Locks – Not only are they convenient, but they are harder locks for burglars to pick since they don’t have a keyhole. PLUS, if you forget to lock your door when you leave your house, you can lock up with your smartphone from anywhere. 

Looking for something else? Browse Frontpoint’s wide array of smart security products and find what you need.