Employers have been advised not to forget their responsibilities when it comes to the safety of their homeworkers.

Bar Huberman, employment law editor at XpertHR, told Microsoft that employees could be entitled to claim compensation if the firm that has hired them fails to account for their safety. Indeed, he remarked that homeworkers have almost the same legal protection as those working from the employer's premises.

Mr Huberman added: “Some employers consider that if an employee works from home then health and safety isn't their responsibility, but this is a myth.”

Among the things the employer needs to consider is the space, workstation, monitor and arrangements for storage. One way of checking these issues is to send a health and safety inspector to the employee's home to ensure that it is suitable for work.

People who work from home are still required to report accidents to their employer and likewise the employer is bound to train their employees in these matters.

The advice follows reports from the Evening Standard urging Londoners to work from home or work flexitime during the 2012 Olympics. This is due to fears that the London transport networks will not be able to handle the existing number of commuters as well as the visitors keen to get to the sports sites around the capital.