Safe Working Practices
All
members of the staff are reminded that they too have a legal obligation to
ensure that they do not work or conduct themselves in a way which will endanger
the health and safety of themselves of anyone else. The following points are intended to draw
attention to the hazards and dangers which are commonly found in offices and to
give some guidance on how accidents can be prevented.
Employers
are required to carry out risk assessments on all hazards which may pose a
significant risk.
The
majority of accidents in an office are due to falls. Falls generally result from untidiness in the
working environment such as leaving equipment and files lying on the floor,
trailing flexes such as telephone wires or electrical cables, worn or damaged
floor coverings, stair treads and risers, split liquids and from standing on
chairs or boxes instead of using proper steps and ladders.
Staff
also have a duty to ensure that, if in the course of their work they will have
to use steps and ladders to reach files stored on the upper shelves of filing
racks, they have available for use a sensible pair of shoes and do not attempt
to climb up in unsuitable shoes.
It is important to note that the
handling of loads applies to lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, pulling,
holding or moving by bodily force any discreet moveable object including a
person.
For general guidance, all employees
may from time to time have to lift or handle some objects. Firstly consider
whether it is necessary to lift the object, consider if there are any
alternatives and if you are at all unsure do not attempt to lift. You are
responsible for your own safety and for the safety of those you work with.
If you decide to proceed with the
lifting activity the correct way to lift is as follows:
Do not attempt to lift or carry too much at a
time. If moving heavy loads about for
any distance, always use a trolley to avoid putting undue strain on the back.
Do not
attempt to carry more than you can comfortably manage. Do not carry so much that you cannot see
where you are going. Be especially
careful when negotiating stairs while carrying things. Always use the handrail and don’t carry so
much that you are unable to do so. Do
not place or leave any objects in passages or on stairs which could cause
someone else who is carrying something to walk into or fall over them.
Employees
have a duty to inform the Manager of any medical reasons as to why they cannot
lift any thing, risk assessments should then be put in place.
Employees
have a duty to report any potential Hazard.
It is
essential that staff obey the golden rule – “WALK – DON’T RUN!” Running can cause an accident to you or to
someone else. Be especially careful on
stairs. Pay special attention if you
suspect that the floors have just been polished and may still be slippery. If you find a floor surface that is slippery
report it as a hazard and warn other staff.
Be
particularly careful with swing doors, especially heavy entrance doors. Do not follow someone else to closely who may
not be aware of your presence and let the door swing into you. Always ensure that there is nobody following
you before releasing the swing door behind you.
Pay special attention to any member of the public or child in the
vicinity of a swing door as they mat not be as aware of the potential danger as
you are. If you discover worn surfaces
or coverings in the floor or stairs, obstacles placed in walkways or passages,
or trailing wires or cables, report them to a senior member of staff and/or the
caretaker.
Generally
normal office equipment is not itself dangerous, provided it is used sensibly
and as intended.
·
Filing cabinets can be
very heavy when full, so try to avoid overturning, only one drawer at a time
should be opened and drawers should always be closed when not in use. Try to spread the load evenly between the
drawers, and preferably, to put more into the lower drawers than the top as
this helps to prevent overturning.
Filing cabinets should be positioned so there is ample room available
when the drawers are fully opened, both for working space at the cabinet and
for passing by.
·
Nothing should be
stored on top of high filing racks or without adequate support at the ends.
·
Storing items on the
top of a rack makes them too difficult and dangerous to retrieve, even using
steps. Heavy objects such as bricks or
blocks should not be placed on racks, and particularly not on the higher
shelves or on the top of racks, to keep files upright or to act as end stops
because of the obvious danger of their falling off onto someone. Similarly racks should never be moved while
loaded or with loose objects on the shelves or top of the racks.
·
Wooden furniture,
which is damaged or splintered, should be reported. Be particularly careful with metal furniture,
which may have sharp edges on shelves or drawers.
Most
offices contain electrically operated machines and the attendant electrical
wiring and supply. Always ensure they
are operating correctly. If there is any
reason to think that a machine in not operating properly, disconnect it and do
not use it until it has been checked and serviced. Always switch off electrical machines when
not in use and disconnect before leaving the office for any length of time and
especially at lunchtime or in the evening.
If you are expected to use or carry out routine servicing on a machine,
even just cleaning it out, make sure you fully understand how to operate it and
carry out any servicing routine. If
chemicals or dyes are involved, always use protective clothing. Never attempt to carry out repairs to a
machine yourself and only carry out routine servicing to a machine if you have
been properly trained to do so.
General
tidiness in the office is essential to ensure safety and efficiency as well as
safeguarding the visual appearance of the office. All floors, passageways, walkways, stairs and
other access routes must be kept clear of goods and equipment.
Many
fires in offices occur ‘out of hours’ but they are often the result of human
error during working hours.
·
Keep clothing, towels,
etc. away from heaters including storage heaters. The build up of heat through lack of
ventilation can cause a fire.
·
Switch off all
electrical appliances after use. Where
possible remove all plugs from their sockets.
·
Keep all flammable
liquids like stencil correcting fluid, typewriting cleaning fluid etc. in
tightly closed containers.
·
The council operates a
Non-Smoking Policy throughout its premises.
·
Make sure that you
know what to do if you discover a fire, and also when the fire alarm is
sounded. Instructions on these points
are displayed in every office.
·
Familiarise yourself
with the position of the fire extinguishers for your office and make sure that you
know hoe to use them. Do not cover up
extinguishers or move them to hold doors etc. open
·
Keep all fire exits
free from obstructions at all times.
·
Fire doors, marked by
“fire door keep shut” signs are always fitted with self closing devises. On no account should these doors be propped
open. Their function is to hold back
smoke and hot gases in the event of a fire in order that escape routes may be
protected.
The
playing of practical jokes and skylarking is not only dangerous but is an offence
under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Think twice before you do anything which may cause injury to persons or
damage property. It is also an offence
and a breach to the safety rules to damage or misuse anything provided for
health and safety.
Your employer has a duty to train all staff in the use of equipment and
the day-to-day conduct of work. In the
office environment this includes specific training in the use of VDUs and other
office electronics, the ergonomics of office work and the correct way to lift
and carry awkward loads. Training in the
use of fire equipment and emergency procedures is also mandatory.
© 2010