This guidance covers office hazards and layout, what the company does to manage them and what each employee does, including clear desks and electrical checks.

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Further Reading

Further guidance on office safety:

• Managing Office Premises
• Display Screen Equipment and Workplace Ergonomics
• Slips, Trips and Falls
• Health and Safety knowledge base

How to Download

These files are included in the alphaZ subscription. The training talk is also included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.

Need Help Implementing?

If you'd like hands-on help assessing office risks and recording the controls in place, our remote support services provide direct expert input from our team, by the day, by project, or on an ongoing basis.

Office Safety Guidance

A general guidance document on office safety, for everyone who works in an office. It explains the hazards found in offices and how office space is laid out to reduce them, what the company does to manage office risks, and what employees must do to work safely.

Topics Covered

• Risks in the office - keeping floors, furniture, equipment, lighting and ventilation in good repair, rooms at a reasonable temperature and offices clean and tidy
• Office layout - adjustable workstations, purpose-built storage, desks placed with enough space, access to power, and clear walkways and exit routes
• Company responsibilities - protected cables, clear walkways, risk assessments, DSE training, safe access, maintenance records and suitable lighting
• Portable electrical equipment - proportionate checks on portable electrical items, depending on how often they are moved and whether their cables are protected
• Employee responsibilities - following training and safe systems of work, not putting others at risk, and completing DSE assessments accurately

Who Is It For?

All employees who work in an office, and the managers responsible for office premises, workstations and equipment.

Included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit

This guidance is supplied with the TT-7-08 Office Safety training talk, which is part of the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.

Using the Guidance

Issue it at induction to office-based staff alongside their DSE assessment, and keep it as a reference for office housekeeping. Record who has received it, for example on the training matrix.

Checking Portable Electrical Equipment

The guidance takes a practical view of portable electrical equipment in the office. For items that are not moved often and whose cables are protected from damage, user checks and a periodic visual inspection of the cable and plug are enough in most offices. Items that are moved frequently are more likely to be damaged and may need more formal inspection and testing.

Adapting the Guidance

Edit the guidance to match your own arrangements - your clear desk policy, how portable electrical equipment is checked, who your first aiders are and the safe working practices you provide.

Related Documents

Other documents that work alongside this guidance:

• PP-7-08 Office Safety Policy Procedure
• RA-HS07 Office Environment
• F-HS18 DSE Self Assessment Form
• GG-7-12 Preventing Slips and Trips
• GG-7-17 Safe Use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Clear Desks and Tidy Work Areas

Employees follow any clear desk policy, which may be there for the security of information as well as for health and safety, and keep their own work area clean and tidy. They also need to know who the first aiders are and how to report an accident.