OFFICE SAFETY HAZARDS
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, CHEMICAL HAZARD AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE, ELECTRICAL HAZARD AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE, FIRE HAZARD AND SAFETY AND NOISE IN THE OFFICE
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| Office Safety hazard |
OFFICE HAZARDS
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, CHEMICAL HAZARD
AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE, ELECTRICAL HAZARD AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE, FIRE
HAZARD AND SAFETY AND NOISE IN THE OFFICE
The type of hazards in an office
includes but are not limited to:
1.
The
Ergonomics hazards such as poor workstation set up in an office, poor posture,
and manual handling lead to musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace hazards
in the office.
2.
The
Fire hazards such as fire from damaged power cords, fire from combustible/
flammable materials in the office, etc.
3.
Electrical
hazards such as damaged electrical cords or overloaded power points or extension
leads can lead to the risk of electric shock or electrocution and electrical
fire hazards.
4.
The
Chemical hazards, such as vapors in the atmosphere from paint, solvents, and
bleaches or airborne particles like photocopier toner in the office activities.
5.
The
Mechanical hazards, such as filing cabinets that tend to tip over when heavily
laden top drawers are opened, tripping hazards in the office hazards.
6. Physical hazards such as glare or reflections from screens and ergonomics, hot
components of photocopiers, poorly designed chairs that do not provide the user
with adequate back support, poorly designed jobs, and tasks that demand
prolonged work in a fixed posture of ergonomics.
7. The
Psychosocial hazards, such as the need to perform excessive workloads under the
pressure of staff, lack of satisfaction from a job where there is inadequate
recognition of work performed or repetitive work, insufficient task variety, or
overtime job in the office.
8.
The
Environmental hazards such as indoor environment, waste, noise, poor lighting,
hot or cold weather usage of resources in the office, etc.
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
1.
ERGONOMICS
Ergonomics hazard focuses on how we position our bodies and interact
with the environment when we are working in the wrong posture.
Ergonomics means finding a way to be comfortable while using a computer
and telephone and performing tasks like copying, printing, and faxing in the
office.
Poor ergonomics may affect a staff or employees personnel’s
musculoskeletal system. The ergonomics Initial symptoms that may be experienced
by the personnel include fatigue, discomfort, and pain in the muscles and
tendons of the body. These ergonomics symptoms may progress to more serious
injuries or illnesses such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, thoracic
outlet syndrome, and tension neck syndrome of staff.
The ergonomics to protect against the risk identified concerning
injuries resulting from ergonomics, all offices shall ensure the ergonomic
requirements are followed for office equipment as listed below but not limited
to in the offices:
· Workstations, table, and chairs
· Computers and Visual Display Units
· Files cabinets, storage, and filing
cabinets
· Walkaways, aisles, and stairs
· Electrical appliances, cables, cords,
and lighting
· Housekeeping in the offices
· Placement of fire protection equipment
· Walkways and stairs in the offices
2.
CHEMICAL SAFETY IN THE OFFICE
Some of the substances used in the offices can be hazardous, however,
these generally pose a little risk under normal circumstances and conditions of
use within the indoor office environment. Examples of such substances include
cleaning fluids, liquid paper, glues, inks, solvents, and cleaning agents which
are used in the office.
While during a survey of materials being used in the office and obtaining SDSs safety data sheet from the suppliers, copies of these shall be assembled at one or more access points as a register. For example, they can be kept in a ring binder in the photocopier room in the office.
3.
ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE OFFICE
The electricity has the potential to cause significant damage to assets
and severely injure, cause fatalities, and electrical fire.
The main electrical hazards associated with office staff:
1.
Electric
shock, electrocutions, and burns from contact with live parts of electrical.
2.
Injury
from exposure to electrical arcing, fire from faulty electrical equipment, or
overloading of power sources or extension leads.
3.
The
explosion is caused by defective or damaged electrical appliances tools or
equipment.
4.
Electric
shocks can also lead to other types of injury to electricity.
5.
It
can be impossible nowadays to avoid interacting with electrical appliances,
unwanted incidents can be avoided by taking into consideration simple precautions
when working with electrical appliances tools, or equipment.
To prevent electricity-related incidents:
1.
Inspect
electrical extension leads and cords for damage frequently.
2.
Frayed
or damaged power cords increase the risk of electric shocks.
3.
Position
cords strategically to prevent damage, tension, or friction of cords.
4.
Avoid
the use of defective or damaged equipment.
5.
Take
defective equipment out of use or remove it immediately from the office.
6. Avoid overloading of power sources or extension lead.
4.
FIRE SAFETY
Fire hazards in the office workplace hazards that involve the presence
of flame or the risk of an uncontrolled fire.
Fire hazards in offices include but are
not limited to:
· Live flames from gas cylinder or
kitchen stove.
· Sparks from electrical equipment or cuts
/ damaged wiring
· Hot objects in the office
· Chemicals that can lead to a fire.
Fire protection system in the office:
· Developed Fire escape route and emergency
response plan
· Provisions of fire extinguishers
placed in office
· Elected and trained floor fire wardens
in the office
· Established methodology of communication to fire services.
The control measures shall be
considered to help reduce the fires:
· Smoking and use of any smoking items are
prohibited in offices/buildings.
· Immediate remove combustible or
flammable materials, such as trashcans, paper, and cardboard boxes, from the
area in front of and to the sides of outlets, panel boxes, or other heat-producing
electrical equipment from the office area.
· Chemical samples, flammable liquids,
or compressed gases shall not be stored in offices without proper review and
approval or risk assessment control measures.
· Limit the use of extension cords to
only those instances when fixed wiring is not available from another source.
· Inspect extension cords or electrical
equipment wiring for damage frequently. Check light fixtures, bulbs, and
displays for VDU in the office.
· Install smoke detection equipment
throughout the office and the smoke detector should be calibrated and
inspected.
Noise within the office can originate from internal and external sources
of equipment. Internal noise sources include office equipment e.g. telephones,
printers, and photocopiers, and staff people's conversations and background noise
generated by the building e.g. from lifts and air conditioning in the office. The
background noise generally goes unnoticed unless there is a malfunction of
equipment in the office. Some background noise is desirable as an absolutely
quiet environment can be uncomfortable in the office. External noise sources
can include road traffic and general industrial noise of equipment.
The levels of noise in office areas are below those levels known to pose
a risk of hearing loss. In the offices, ‘annoyance’ noise is more likely which
can interfere with communication, annoy or distract people and affect a
person’s performance of tasks like reading and writing in the office.
Noise
that prevents a person or office staff from understanding an instruction or
warning signal can also be a safety risk. it is important to consider what can
be done to control unwanted noise in the office.
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