As an increasing number of people decide to operate from home as a way to improve their work-life balance, one expert has moved to highlight the importance of ensuring the safety of the residential workspace.

Meri-K Appy, president of a not-for-profit group in the US called the Home Safety Council, suggests that teleworkers need to take measures to ensure that their equipment, particularly shredding machines, dot not pose a significant safety threat.

The issue is crucial for those people working from home whose children might be playing close by and parents need to look into buying safety-conscious tools if they want to avoid accidents in their home-based office, Ms Appy maintains.

"With an increase in the number of people working from home, it’s essential that we educate families about the safety risks that are associated with home office equipment," she said.

"Also it’s important to consider home office products with built-in safety features, offering that extra level of protection to help ensure the safety of loved ones."

A report from CareerBuilder.com recently showed that 38 per cent of American fathers would take a pay cut if it meant they could work from home and spend more time with their children.