Potential health and safety hazards in Hessequa offices

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BUSINESS NEWS - When considering health and safety hazards, the typical misconception is that they are more common on construction sites, mines, factories and other workplaces where manual labour and interaction with machinery occur.

However, office environments in Hessequa also have their own hazards and risks which people may not be aware of.

What are workplace hazards and risks?
A workplace hazard can simply be defined as any aspect of work that may potentially cause health and safety risks. Workplace risks are the likelihood or chance that an incident will occur.

Some hazards and risks are more likely to exist in some workplace than in others, depending on the work being done and the equipment used to perform the task. However, despite the workplace environment, hazards are still present in each.

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Slips, trips and falls
Statistically, slips, trips and falls account for around 30% of all workplace injuries. They are the most common hazards across a variety of workplaces, not just offices. They can be as a result of several factors, including:

Exposed areas
Obstructed walkways
Loose flooring
Cluttered areas, and several others.

To identify hazards relating to these, employers and employees can make use of a hazard checklist, a great tool that could help recognise where such hazards most commonly occur and how they can be eliminated.

Where they cannot be eliminated, it is necessary to put the necessary controls in place, whether administrative or engineering. These controls must be communicated to all employees working in the area and visitors must be made aware of them as well.

Cables that are exposed must be secured by being taped and covered. Where they cross walkways, they must be marked and clearly indicated. Workspaces and floors must be kept clean, tidy and free of all obstructions.

Slips can be addressed with measures such as carpeting, warning signs and several others. Where spills occur, they must be cleaned immediately and signage used to indicate wet surfaces.

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Ergonomic injuries
Ergonomic injuries often start as hazards that can develop over a prolonged period, partially as office work is regarded less straining than manual labour. However, in offices, employees sit down for extended periods of time and they work with computers for a greater part of the day.

This can result in straining the eyes, neck, shoulder and other parts of the body, if workspaces are not adjustable and if employees do not correctly adjust their posture and ensure they take frequent breaks.

Work stress
This is a mental factor that can be disregarded, but which can pose a substantial risk to the health and well-being of employees. It often occurs where employees are placed under substantial amounts of pressure or are not provided with enough time to complete a task.

Employers must address this by ensuring that workloads match the rate of work and skills of employees. Employees must also be provided with adequate time to perform their work and given enough time to rest. For this reason, employers must ensure that they comply with working hours according to legal requirements.

Employers must also provide a safe platform where employees can report such problems and where it can be discussed and resolved.

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Eyestrain
Office employees are exposed to display screen equipment, also known as DSE, such as those of laptops and desktop computers. Some employees conduct tasks on desktop computers and laptops for extended periods, leading to eyestrain and other ergonomic issues that may lead to injures and adverse health issues if not addressed, managed and monitored.

Employees must ensure they apply the correct settings to their screens, wear the prescribed glasses where necessary, take frequent breaks, ensure they adjust their seating and position, make sure that they are a safe and correct distance away from their screen and that it is set at the right height.

Fire safety
This is a crucial part of any work environment regardless of the industry in which the organisation operates. Office health and safety can be improved, maintained and further ensured by trained employees and making them familiar with emergency procedures.

Employers must also ensure that the necessary precautions are in place and that they are effectively communicated.

How can these workplace hazards and risks be monitored, reduced and eliminated?
One of the best ways in which employers can ensure effective and efficient office health and safety, is to create an occupational health and safety programme and manage it correctly.

By doing frequent walkthroughs, hazards and risks can be identified and plans can be made to minimise and even eliminate these.

The effectiveness of the occupational health and safety programme can be determined and examined by having an occupational health and safety audit done to indicate how the programme measures up to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.