office safety and health. overview of office hazards many hazards which cause thousands of injuries...
TRANSCRIPT
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Office Safety and Health
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Overview of Office Hazards
• Many hazards which cause thousands of injuries and health problems annually exist in the office.
• In addition to the obvious hazards of slippery floors or open file drawers, the modern office may contain hazards such as poor lighting, noise, and poorly designed furniture and equipment.
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Leading Types of Disabling Accidents in Offices
• Office workers sustain approximately 76,000 fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains and contusions annually.
• Leading types of disabling office accidents are:– Falls and slips– Strains and over-exertion– Struck by or striking against
objects– Caught in or between objects
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Fall
/Sli
p
Stra
in
Stru
ck b
y
Cau
ght i
n
Source: National Safety Council, Accident Prevention Manual, 1992
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Common Office Safety and Health Hazards
• Physical layout and housekeeping
• Exits and egress• Fire hazards• Handling and
storage • Office furniture• Electrical equipment
• Office machinery/tools• Computer Terminals• Ventilation• Illumination• Noise• Stress
Some of the common office hazards relate to:
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Physical Layout and Housekeeping Hazards
• Poor design or poor housekeeping can lead to:
– Crowding,
– Lack of privacy,
– Slips, trips and falls
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Physical Layout/Housekeeping Controls
Important factors related to office layout and orderliness include:
– Maintain at least 3 feet distance between desks; at least 50 square feet per employee.
– Keep telephone and electrical cords out of aisles and walkways.
Cords create tripping hazards
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Physical Layout/Housekeeping Controls (cont’d.)
• Office machines should be kept away from edges of desks and tables.
• Regularly inspect, and repair or replace faulty carpeting.
• Remove excess debris from the work area.
• Clean up spills promptly.
Excess debris in work area
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Exits and Egress Hazards
• Blocked or improperly planned means of egress can lead to injuries as a result of slips, trips, and falls.
• If employees become trapped during an emergency due to improper egress, more serious injuries or fatalities can result.
Blocked exit
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Exits and Egress Hazard Controls
Controls to ensure proper and safe means of egress include:
– Minimum access to exit width of 28 inches.
– Generally, two exits should be provided.
– Exits and access to exits must be marked.
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Exits and Egress Hazard Controls
• Means of egress, including stairways used for emergency exit, should be free of obstructions and adequately lit.
• Employees must be aware of exits and trained in evacuation procedures.
MAP OF EXIT ROUTES
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Fire Hazards
• A serious problem associated with office design is the potential for fire hazards.
• Offices contain large amounts of combustible materials, such as paper, furniture and carpeting, which can easily ignite and emit toxic fumes.
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Fire Hazard Controls
To reduce office fire hazards:
– Fire extinguishers and alarms must be conspicuously placed and accessible.
– Store excess paper materials inside cabinets, files or lockers.
– Use flame retardant materials.
Blocked fire extinguisher
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Handling and Storage Hazards
• Improper lifting of materials can cause musculoskeletal disorders such as sprains, strains, and inflamed joints.
• Office materials that are improperly stored can lead to hazards such as objects falling on workers, poor visibility, and fires.
Improper storage
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Handling and Storage Hazard Controls
Some controls to reduce handling and storage hazards include:
– An effective ergonomic control program incorporating employee awareness and training and ergonomic design of work tasks.
– No storage of materials on top of cabinets or in aisles or walkways.
– Heavy objects stored on lower shelves and materials stacked neatly.
– Flammable and combustible materials identified and properly stored.
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Office Furniture Hazards
Serious injuries can result from:
– Defective furniture
– Misuse of chairs, desks, or file cabinets
– Improper use of ladders and stools
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Office Furniture Hazard Controls
Chairs– Do not climb on any
office chair; use a ladder or stool.
– Chairs should be properly designed and regularly inspected for missing casters and loose parts.
Defective caster
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Office Furniture Hazard Controls (cont’d.)
• Don’t lean back in an office chair with your feet up.
• Don’t scoot across the floor while sitting in a chair.
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Office Furniture Hazard Controls (continued)
File cabinets
– Open only one file drawer at a time.
– Do not locate file cabinets close to doorways or in aisles.
– Use drawer handles to close file drawers.
OUCH!!
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Office Furniture Hazard Controls (cont’d.)
Desks– Keep desks in good condition - free from sharp edges, nails, etc.
– Ensure that glass-top desks do not have sharp edges.
– Keep desk drawers closed when not in use.
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Office Furniture Hazard Controls (cont’d.)
Ladders
– Ensure that ladder is in good condition and inspected regularly.
– Do not use the top of a ladder as a step.
– Be sure ladder is fully open and the spreaders are locked.
– Place the ladder on slip-free surface.
– Keep area around ladder free of debris.
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Electrical Hazards
Electrical accidents in offices usually occur as a result of:
– Faulty or defective equipment
– Unsafe installation, or
– Misuse of equipment
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Electrical Hazard Controls
• Equipment must be properly grounded to prevent shock injuries.
• A sufficient number of outlets will prevent overloading of circuits.
• Poorly maintained or non-approved equipment should not be used.
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Electrical Hazard Controls (cont’d.)
• Cords should not be dragged over nails, hooks, or other sharp objects.
• Receptacles must be installed and equipment maintained so that no live electrical parts are exposed.
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• Machines must be disconnected before cleaning or adjusting.
• Generally, machines and equipment must be locked or tagged out during maintenance.
Electrical Hazard Controls (cont’d.)
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Office Machinery and Tool Hazards
• Office machines with hazardous moving parts, such as electric hole punches and paper shredders can cause lacerations, abrasions and fractures.
• Misuse of office tools, such as pens, pencils, paper, letter openers, scissors and staplers can cause cuts, punctures and related infections.
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Office Machinery and Tool Hazards (continued)
• Photocopying machines
– Hazards may include excessive noise and intense light.
– During repair or troubleshooting, some parts of the copier may be hot.
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Office Machinery and Tool Hazard Controls (continued)
Take precautions when using photocopying machines.
– Keep the document cover closed.
– Reduce noise exposure by isolating the machine.
– Have machines serviced routinely.
– Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for troubleshooting.
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Office Machinery and Tool Hazard Controls
• Machines with nip points or rotating parts must be guarded so that office workers cannot contact the moving parts.
• Secure machines that tend to move during operation.
• Avoid wearing long or loose clothing or accessories around machinery with moving parts.
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Office Machinery and Tool Hazard Controls (continued)
• Paper cutters– Keep blade closed when not in use.– A guard should be provided and fingers
kept clear.
• Staplers– Always use a stapler remover.– Never test a jammed stapler with your
thumb.
• Pencils, pens, scissors– Store sharp objects in a drawer or with
the point down.
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Computer Monitors & Work Station Arrangement
Health concerns of computer monitors involve:
– Eye irritation
– Low back, neck, and shoulder pain
– Cumulative trauma disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
– Stress A candidate for neck pain
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Computer Workstation Design
• Proper ergonomic design should be tailored to prevent discomfort.
• Factors to consider include:– Relation of operator to screen– Operator’s posture– Lighting and background– Keyboard position– Chair height – Document holder– Screen design, characters and color
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Example of Poor Computer Design
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Ventilation
• Sources of air pollution in the office include both natural agents (e.g.,mold spores) and synthetic chemicals (e.g., cleaning fluids).
• An adequate ventilation system which delivers quality indoor air and provides comfortable humidity and temperature is a necessity.
• Office machines and ventilation system components should be checked and maintained on a regular basis.
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Illumination
• Lighting problems in the office include: – Glare– Eyestrain– Fatigue– Double-vision
• Poor lighting can be a contributing factor in accidents.
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Illumination Controls
• Controls include:– Regular maintenance of the
lighting system
– Light-colored matte finish on walls and ceilings to reduce glare
– Adjustable shades on windows
– Indirect or task lighting
Task Lighting
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Noise• Noise sources in the office
include:– Printers, and other office
machines– Telephones– Human voices
• High noise can produce tension and stress, as well as damage hearing.
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Office Noise
Source: Office Hazards, Joel Makower. Reprinted with permission from Tilden Press Inc., 1001 Connecticut Ave., Washington, D.C.
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Controls for Noise
• Noisy machines should be placed in an enclosed space.
• Carpeting, draperies, and acoustical ceiling tiles should be used to muffle noise.
• Telephone volume should be adjusted to its lowest level.
• Traffic routes in the office should be arranged to reduce traffic within and between work areas.
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Additional Information
More information on workplace safety and health is available on the WISHA webpage at: www.lni.wa.gov
For additional assistance, you can call one of our consultants. Click below for local L & I office locations:http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/consultation/regional_consultants.htm
For a copy of our publication on office ergonomics click below:lni.wa.gov/IPUB/417-133-000.pdf
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Thank you for taking the time to learn about safety and health and how to prevent injuries and illnesses.