Excerpted from Feb., 2008, Safety + Health
Avoid Cubicle Catastrophes!
While the office setting lacks drill presses, band saws and other obvious risks
that we equate with workplace safety, thousands of working Americans are injured
in offices every year. Perhaps the biggest risk is not being aware of risks: not
realizing the potential dangers associated with some common office features that
can lead to injuries or even death.
If you’re an employer or work in an office, the National Safety Council encourages
you to asses your workspace and make any changes that might help keep you and your
colleagues safe.
File cabinets and other obstacles
File cabinets are a major source of office injuries. When too many drawers are open
at once, cabinets can become unbalanced and tip over if not secured. People can
bump into or trip over unattended open drawers, and drawers also can be accidentally
pulled out too far and dropped.
National Safety Council data shows that nearly 75 percent of all strain or exertion
mishaps occur when an employee is trying to move an object, often without supervisor
authorization. Office equipment, such as copy machines or printers, can be dropped
when being moved by an employee. For this reason, businesses should provide training
and proper equipment in an office. Office and administrative support employees in
2006 suffered 18,990 injuries from overexertion requiring days away from work, mostly
from holding, carrying or lifting objects, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics
data.
Objects on an employee’s desk also present a hazard. Pencils, knives and scissors
should never be stored with the point upward or toward the employee. Paper cutters
should have guards, and glassware should never rest near the edge of a desk or table.
Electricity and fires
The most frequently cited OSHA violations in offices involve electrical hazards,
and electrical distribution and lighting equipment are the leading cause of office
structure fires.
Part of the reason for this high risk might be that older office buildings are not
equipped to handle the electrical demand imposed by the many devices that now require
outlets: computers, fax machines, copiers, scanners, paper shredders and more.
Although the majority of office fires start out – and stay – small, an environment
of loose papers, boxes and books provides a good fuel source for any blaze to grow
out of control.
If a fire alarm sounds while in an office, pay attention! Deaths in office fires
are somewhat rare – an average of four deaths and about 50 injuries occur each year.
But a major factor in deaths and injuries from office fires is workers ignoring
warnings and staying at their desks.
Employers should have an evacuation plan for their workers, who should be familiar
with the plan. In the Council’s experience, this is generally an area where companies
excel in their employee training.
Falling down, sitting down
Keeping an office and aisle clear of boxes and debris can cut down on trips and
falls, which are the leading causes of accidents for employees in an office. According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, office and administrative support employees suffered
20,560 disabling falls in 2006 that required time away from work.
While people recognize hazards posed by stairs more readily than those caused by
chairs, workers are exposed more frequently to chairs and can injure themselves
when sitting down, getting up or moving about. Less frequent are injuries from leaning
back and tilting in chairs, or from workers putting their feet on their desks. Improper
use of a chair, such as in place of a ladder, can also result in injuries. Something
as simple as walking with a lidless coffee cup also can lead to a fall from slipping
on a puddle of spilled coffee.
Seeing straight
As computer use in office buildings increases, so too do negative health effects
from the working posture. OSHA reported eyestrain and irritation are among the most
frequently reported complaints from users of video display terminals, which consist
of a computer, screen and keyboard. Fatigue and musculoskeletal problems also can
develop from sitting still for lengthy periods at a workstation.
Employees can take several steps to reduce these hazards. Workstations and lighting
should be arranged to avoid glare on the computer screen, which can cause discomfort
or loss in visual performance. Workers should also be seated in positions that provide
back, arm, leg and foot support; and display screens and keyboards should be adjustable.
Workers should take breaks from the workstation to relieve fatigue, and mix-up job
tasks to include work away from the computer.
OSHA also recommends ergonomic equipment for workers, but simply purchasing it may
not be enough – proper training is needed.
Don Ostrander, National Safety Council Director of Consulting, said: “The breakdown
occurs when the equipment is purchased and the employee uses it without having been
trained to use it properly.”
Ostrander recommends training employees on how to adjust the equipment and notes
that many equipment vendors will offer to educate purchasers. “You really do need
to take the time and effort because safety doesn’t just happen,” he said.
