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Workplace safety is so important. If you run a business, you need to ensure you do everything you possibly can to avoid accidents and injuries in your workspace. A failure to do so could leave your employees open to harm and your company open to litigation.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some office hazards that are quite common, but often ignored or overlooked as being a hazard:
Clutter
Clutter doesn’t just make the office space seem unkempt and untidy, which is a bad thing in itself, especially if you regularly have clients come to your business, but it can also be a health hazard too.
It’s so easy for an employee to trip and fall over those files that have been stacked on the floor or for improperly balanced papers to fall from a shelf and hit people which is why regular office cleaning and organizing is so very important.
Stacked stuff
On a related note, although it might be convenient to stick big files and boxes in the corner of the office especially if you don’t have a lot of storage space to play with, they can and do topple over and cause injuries from tie to time, so a safer solution should be sought if at all possible.
Poorly maintained lifts
Lifts are great for providing convenience and accessibility, but they can also be a hazard if proper lift maintenance is not carried out at regular intervals. Lift mechanisms can become stiff or weakened and when that happens, the lift could fail, which could mean your employees being stuck in there, or worse, seriously injured, Schedule regular maintenance to ensure this does not happen in your business.
Office chairs
Yes, office chairs can be a surprisingly big hazard, especially the ones that have wheels on them. Sure, they can be convenient when you want to glide across the floor to access the filing cabinet more quickly but they can also cause you to fall out of your seat if you come off-balance, which is why they are not always the best option from a safety point of view.
They can also cause problems when employees use them in lieu of step ladders to access things on higher shelves, which is why it’s always a good idea to ensure you have ladders available to get to those far-up places in the office.
Keyboards
Keyboards and mice, if they are not ergonomic, can cause repetitive strain injuries very easily in employees who do a lot of writing or computer work, so if you can afford to replace older versions with safer ergonomic ones, it would be to your advantage.
Lights
If the lighting in your office is too low then people are more likely to trip and fall, if it is too bright, then it could obscure many hazards from them and a similar accident could occur.
There are so many potential hazards in the workplace that you really do need to be prepared for anything, and hopefully, this post will help you with that.