office hazards © blr ® —business & legal resources massachusetts retail merchants workers’...

Office Hazards

© BLR®—Business & Legal Resources

Massachusetts Retail Merchants Workers’ Compensation Group, Inc.

Safety Awareness For Everyone from Cove Risk Services


Session Objectives

You will be able to:– Recognize office hazards

– Know what to do in emergencies

– Take proper precautions to avoid accidents

– Reduce ergonomic risk factors

– Use proper lifting techniques

– Manage stress effectively


What You Need to Know

– Emergency procedures

– Fire prevention

– Preventing common office injuries

– Ergonomic safety

– Back safety

– Stress management


Office Hazards

– Fires

– Slips, trips, and falls

– Electrical shocks and fires

– Falling objects


Office Hazards (cont.)

– Cuts and bruises– Musculoskeletal

disorders– Back injuries– Stress


Emergency Procedures:Evacuation

– Evacuation signal– Location of

emergency exits– Evacuation routes– Emergency exits

and access to exits


– Emergency duties– Designated meeting

area– Drills

Emergency Procedures:Evacuation (cont.)


Emergency Procedures:Fire Response

– Activate the fire alarm

– Call the fire department

– Use an extinguisher on small fires


Emergency Procedures:Medical Emergencies

– Call for an ambulance if necessary

– Apply first aid– Use gloves to protect

against bloodborne pathogens

– Know the location of first-aid kits


Emergency Procedures:Natural Disasters

– Be prepared– Have a survival kit– Listen for warnings

and instructions– Shelter in place or

evacuate


Fire Hazards

– Flammable or combustible liquids

– Storage of combustible materials

– Electrical cords and plugs

– Space heaters– Smoking


Slips, Trips, and Falls

– Spills and wet floors– Torn carpet or

damaged flooring– Cords in walkways– Improperly stored

items– Open drawers– Standing on chairs


Electrical Hazards

– Outlets and circuits– Electrical cords and

plugs– Electrical equipment– Electrical repairs


Safe Stacking and Storing

– Store items in a safe place

– Stack evenly and carefully

– Don’t stack too high– Make sure shelves

can hold the weight– Inspect your work


Preventing Cuts and Bruises

– Box knives– Scissors– Paper cutters– Pinch points


Office Hazards And Precautions

– Do you understand the information presented in the previous slides?


Office Ergonomics:Risk Factors

– Repetition– Posture– Force– Other factors


Office Ergonomics:Musculoskeletal Disorders

– Injury to nervous system or soft tissue

– Pain in hands, wrists, fingers, forearms, elbows, or joints

– How it feels– Report any MSD

symptoms immediately and seek medical treatment


Office Ergonomics:Proper Posture

– Head facing straight ahead

– Knees bent 90 degrees

– Feet flat on the floor or footrest


Office Ergonomics:Proper Posture (cont.)

– Wrists in line with forearms

– Shoulders not hunched– Elbows close to

the side


Office Ergonomics:Reduce Repetition

– Alternate work activities

– Minibreaks– Eye breaks


Office Ergonomics:Reduce Repetition (cont.)

Stretching exercises– Hands– Wrists and forearms– Shoulders– Neck– Back


Back Safety

– Maintain good back posture when sitting, standing, or lifting

– Do not lift more than you can handle

– Use material-handling aids– Make sure you can see

over and around loads you are carrying


Safe Lifting

– Establish a wide and stable stance

– Bend at your knees and hips and squat down next to the object

– Grip the object firmly


Safe Lifting (cont.)

– Pull the object close– Tighten your stomach

muscles– Keep your back straight– Rise up using your leg

muscles, not your back muscles


Ergonomic Hazards

– Do you understand the information presented in the previous slides?


Workplace Stress

– Stress factors– Symptoms of stress– Episodic stress– Benefits of stress


Stress Management

– Control your reaction to stress

– Exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep

– Avoid stressful situations

– Get organized– Laugh, relax, and take

quiet time


Key Points to Remember

– Offices have many hazards

– Keep alert and take precautions

– Know how to respond to emergencies

– Reduce exposure to ergonomic risk factors

– Always lift safely

– Manage stress effectively

Massachusetts Retail Merchants Workers’ Compensation Group, Inc.

Safety Awareness For Everyone from Cove Risk Services

office hazards © blr ® —business & legal resources massachusetts retail merchants workers’...

Documents

proper posturehead

proper posture cont

office hazardsknow

circuitselectrical cords

medical emergenciescall

damaged flooringcords

fallselectrical shocks

nervous system