It is not uncommon for employees to become relaxed about health and safety when their place of work is an office environment. Risks in the office are relatively low compared to other places of work such as construction sites or building sites for example.
You might assume that there are no obvious high-risk hazards like machinery, complicated equipment or uneven ground surfaces, therefore there is nothing to worry about.
However, there are many health and safety issues to be concerned about and be aware of when working in an office environment. The health and safety laws are still in place to keep everyone safe whilst at work, no matter what industry you are in.
Did you also know that health and safety laws not only cover physical safety but also cover work-related violence, bullying and harassment too? Read on to learn more about office health and safety.
Health and Safety at Work
The Health and Safety at Work Act has been in place since 1974. The legislation applies to all workplaces and organisations, no matter what they are or their size. Designed to keep everyone on the premises safe, it legally ensures that all employers provide a safe environment to work and interact.
Do take a look at our range of eLearning health and safety courses here at Beaconrisk, they can be completed by staff and employers to make sure everyone is compliant with the necessary health and safety training for your place of work.
Why Employers Should Take Office Health and Safety Seriously
There are tough penalties handed out to employers across all sectors for breaching health and safety laws, so employers need to comply with the law if they do not want to get a hefty penalty fine.
What Are the Main Safety Hazards in the Office
Even in office environments, safety risks can occur in which these need to be recognised and managed. Read on to find out more about the different risks to be aware of in your office.
Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips, trips and falls are reportedly the most common accident and causes of injury in UK workplaces. With slips, trips and falls being responsible for 33% of non-fatal work-related accidents.
In an office environment, the likelihood of slipping, tripping and falling is still great as spillages from liquid including water, tea, and food items in the office or kitchen area could cause someone to slip over.
Other factors that are likely to cause slips could be because of freshly cleaned wet floors, damp floors due to the rain from outside, footwear that lacks proper grip or unsecured floor mats.
A common trip hazard in an office space can be caused by loose wires or electrical cords, cupboards or draws that have been left open, objects that have been left lying around or loose flooring.
Visit our other blog post for our guide to slips, trips and falls and read up on this particular safety risk in more detail.
Manual Handling
Manual handling refers to lifting, carrying or lowering heavy objects or loads at work using your bodily force. According to the Health and Safety Executive, manual handling tasks are responsible for a third of all workplace injuries.
Whilst more common in physical jobs, office workers are likely to have some form of manual handling to do at some point in their role. These can be things such as transporting heavy equipment, and office furniture, moving supplies around or taking in deliveries.
To reduce the risk when manual handling, you should split heavy items into more manageable loads and know the weight of the load before you lift it - employees or managers should provide you with this information.
Most importantly, reduce the risk by ensuring that staff are trained in safe manual handling techniques to reduce the risk of injury to a person, in particular their back, neck or spine.
Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
Office workers spend most of their time in their typical day sitting at a desk and using some kind of display screen equipment (DSE). Display screen equipment refers to screens from computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones which can cause workers who use them daily at work to experience fatigue, eye strain, upper limb problems and backache from overuse or improper use of DSE.
Whilst DSE may seem harmless in the short term, over time bad and repeated habits can cause some serious health problems including physical musculoskeletal problems affecting the joints, bones and muscles. Eyesight problems can lead to headaches, blurred vision and eye strain and fatigue, as well as mental stress, reduced memory recall, loss of concentration and dizziness.
Beaconrisk
At Beaconrisk, we offer a ‘Slips, Trips and Falls’ approved health and safety course to educate all staff on the risks and how to limit these types of accidents in the future, as well as a ‘Manual Handling’ course and an ‘Assessing Display Screen Equipment’ specific course.
These courses along with a whole range of other online courses can be found on our website and are a simple yet effective way to ensure that your team in the office or any other workplace environment are health and safety aware and prepared for any hazards and risks that they may encounter.
Display screen equipment refers to screens from computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones which can cause workers who use them daily at work to experience fatigue, eye strain, upper limb problems and backache from overuse or improper use of DSE.
Whilst DSE may seem harmless in the short term, over time bad and repeated habits can cause some serious health problems including physical musculoskeletal problems affecting the joints, bones and muscles. Eyesight problems can lead to headaches, blurred vision and eye strain and fatigue, as well as mental stress, reduced memory recall, loss of concentration and dizziness.