Top Tip Tuesday - Office Safety

O – OFFICE SAFETY

Let’s not forget that health and safety management isn’t just about heavy industry. There are many requirements that need to be planned and managed within many office environments. Here are our top tips for the main office health and safety issues to remind you of what you should consider:

• Fire safety – Fire risk assessment is where you need to start. If your building and operation is low risk, you may be able to complete this yourself. If your premises and the activities you carry out are a little more complex, appoint a competent person to do this. All other fire safety requirements will be identified from this.
• Computer use – Office working, home working or hot desking will still require an assessment to ensure it is set up directly. An individual display screen equipment (DSE) assessment will also be required to ensure an individual’s interaction with the workstation is controlled. Headaches, focussing difficulties and upper limb disorders are the most common and recognised ill-health issues experienced by office workers.
• Electricity – Fixed wiring (main electricity) inspections and portable appliance testing (PAT) are both legal requirements for every office environment. Visual inspections can be applied but should be an extension to the other inspections and not a replacement for them.
• Slips and trips – Carpet tiles that have worn, cables running through the office, spillages in the kitchen are the most common slip and trip hazards. Replace carpet tiles, tie up cables, run them under flooring and ensure employees clear up spillages immediately are the simple control measures you can adopt. It is important that these items are communicated during an employee induction.
• Manual handling – Provide equipment which reduces the need to manually pick up items. Encourage employees to carry less and reduce how far they are walking when carrying something. Manual handling training is advised for all office employees.
• Legionella – If applicable, an independent assessment is advised if you store stagnant water. Run showers every week. Using shower head cleaning substances to stop bacteria building up. For facilities with multiple rooms, temperature checking, and recording is required.

Need more help on this? Contact us as we are happy to advise and guide you.