Essential Office Hazards Every Business Owner Needs To Know About



When you are the owner of a business, the buck stops with you. That means you are responsible for the health, safety and well-being of those that work for you in your offices. Now you may not think of offices as the most dangerous of places, but they do have their hazards, and as it's your duty to protect your workers, it makes sense to know what they are and how to deal with them. A subject you can find out more details about below. 

Slip, trip and fall hazards 
While working in an office will not have as many hazards as, for example, being employed on a construction site there will still be elements of the environment that pose a risk of danger to employees. Of course, such elements need to be identified and dealt with in the proper manner. For example, slip, trip, and fall hazards are common in office workspaces, especially when cables for electronic equipment zig-zag the floor. If this is the case in your business you need to first make sure such trip hazards are protected by rubber covers to reduce the risk of tripping, and that there is proper signage indicating the risk. Ideally, you will also look into ways of removing this hazard entirely such as running cables around the corners of the room or installing new plug-in points so they no longer need to zig-zag the floor. 

Damp and mould 
Similarly, a common hazard in many office spaces is dampness and mould that collects on the floors and carpets. Something that can lead to black mould and poor respiratory health for your employees. The way you may choose to deal with this is to get an expert to remove the offending flooring and make sure that the mould is also cleared. Then you can invest in commercial and office carpets from Carpet connection or other providers like them. Thereby ensuring you have the cleanest, and safe environment in which your employees can work. 

Repetitive strain injury 
One of the most common hazards to the health and safety of employees working in an office is repetitive strain injury or RSI as it is also known. RSI is caused by doing the same task over and over again, something that leads to micro strains that never have a chance to properly heal. Sadly, RSI can be very painful and debilitating, and in the worst-case scenario will require workers to have time off and even get surgery! Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to reduce the risk of RSI in your office. One is to pay careful attention to the design of the furniture such as desks in your office environment. They should be ergonomically designed as this helps to relieve the stress on this particular part of the body. Additionally, educating your staff of the dangers of RSI, as well as a routine of stretching and breaks they can do to relieve it will pay dividends in the long run.