4957 VWA Officewise
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A handbook for workplaces Officewise – A guide to health & safety in the office Edition No. 5 January 2006 CONTENTS Introduction. 1 5. Working with computers . 49 Using this guide . 1 Health effects . 51 How this guide can help you. 1 6. General health and safety issues in the office . 53 1. Managing occupational health and safety Specific health and safety issues. 53 in the office . 2 Emergency management. 56 The risk management approach . 2 Copying and similar equipment . 57 Identifying hazards in the office . 6 Hazardous substances . 58 Occupational health and safety legislation . 9 Housekeeping issues in the office. 59 Developing a health and safety policy . 10 Appendices. 62 2. Job design in office work. 12 A. Setting up your workstation . 62 Physical factors . 12 B. Exercises for office workers . 68 Psychosocial factors at work. 13 C. Office Safety Checklist . 72 Reducing stress through good job design . 17 Job design . 73 3. Designing a healthy and safe working Social and psychological issues . 74 environment . 22 Manual handling . 75 Lighting in the office . 22 Environmental factors. 76 Noise in the office . 26 Office layout . 78 Thermal comfort and air quality in the office . 29 Workstations . 79 4. Office layout, workstations and equipment . 32 Office equipment and tools. 80 Office layout and design. 32 Storage . 81 Workstation design. 33 Copying equipment . 82 Chairs. 34 Hazardous substances. 83 Desks and workbenches . 37 Electrical hazards . 84 Data input devices – keyboards, the mouse, Housekeeping . 85 and other pointing devices . 39 D. References and advice – where to obtain them . 89 Other office equipment . 40 Subject index . 95 Different types of office work . 43 Storage and moving systems . 45 WorkSafe Victoria 222 Exhibition Street Melbourne 3000 Phone (03) 9641 1555 First published October 1995 Second edition May 1996 Third edition September 1997 Fourth edition August 2001 Fifth edition January 2006 INTRODUCTION Almost every organisation has some office-based work. Technology like data processing, communications and information transfer has enabled an enormous increase in the volume of information handled daily. These changes offer many positive effects through faster communication, greater job satisfaction and increased variety in the tasks performed, but also some negatives like decreased physical variation, information overload, repetition and monotony. The increase in flexible and portable equipment has also expanded the office environment into areas outside the traditional office such as on-site locations, vehicles and the home. Occupational health and safety practices need to keep pace with the rapid changes in office-based work. USING THIS GUIDE This guide promotes health and safety in the office and is designed as a resource for managers, supervisors and anyone involved in office work. It brings together a range of information and provides references where more information is necessary. Officewise: A Guide to Health and Safety in the Office is based on a risk management approach to office health and safety – a consultative process to identify hazards, assess their risks and control them as far as possible. This approach should be adopted in the design and management of offices, work carried out in them, and the selection and use of furniture and equipment. HOW THIS GUIDE CAN HELP YOU Offices vary from multi-storeyed, air conditioned buildings to small areas that are part of warehouses, factories, hospitals and homes. While hazards in the office may not always be as obvious as those in factories, office workers may also face a range of health and safety issues, including poor job design, prolonged repetitive work, moving heavy loads, inadequate lighting and cramped or unsafe work areas. Officewise is designed to help employers and employees take a look at their workplace. It aims to: • raise awareness of health and safety issues in the office; • help identify existing and potential health and safety problems; • encourage consultation on health and safety issues; • help employers meet their legal responsibilities in relation to health and safety; • offer solutions and advice; and • give guidance on where to go for further information and help. WORKSAFE VICTORIA / OFFICEWISE – A GUIDE TO HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE OFFICE 1 MANAGING 1 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE This section outlines a risk management approach to health and safety in offices. It provides general information about the framework of Victorian occupational health and safety legislation, and how this applies to office environments. Information about the development and implementation of health and safety policy in the office is also discussed. THE RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH The aim of occupational health and safety risk management is to eliminate or reduce the risk of injuries and illness associated with work. Managing health and safety in the office requires a process of hazard identification, risk assessment, risk control and evaluation of control measures. Effective management of health and safety hazards also involves training, consultation, documentation of health and safety activities and regular review of the management system. Risk management is a continuous process, as technology changes and further options for the control of risks become available. It requires consultation between employers, employees and Health and Safety Representatives when determining the approach and methods to be used. Employers are also required to provide information, training and supervision so that employees can perform their work in a safe manner. Training should provide employees and their supervisors with an understanding of: • health and safety legal responsibilities; • the nature of the hazards in the workplace; • the process of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control; • the arrangements for reporting; • circumstances likely to cause hazards; • the reasons for and safe use of the risk control measures in place in the workplace; and • safe work practices. 2 WORKSAFE VICTORIA / OFFICEWISE – A GUIDE TO HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE OFFICE MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE Employers are also required to keep information and records relating to the health and safety of employees. These include records for legal requirements (for example, injury reports) as well as records of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control. A review of health and safety enables an organisation to determine whether their health and safety management activities are effective. Policies, procedures and control measures require reviewing over time to ensure that their objectives are being achieved. Why is health and safety risk management important to a business? There is a legal obligation to provide a healthy and safe workplace. In addition, effective management of health and safety hazards makes good business sense. It can lead to reduced costs, increased productivity, higher morale and better employee relations. Who is responsible for health and safety? Figure 1.1 Employers have a duty of care to provide a healthy and safe working environment under occupational health and safety legislation and common law (see Appendix D for references). The Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) states that the ‘employer must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain for employees of the employer a working environment that is safe and without risks to health’ (Section 21(1)). Employees also have obligations under legislation to take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves and others, and to cooperate with the employer in compliance with the legislation. Designers of plant, buildings or structures also have responsibilities under occupational health and safety legislation. Manufacturers and suppliers of plant and substances used in the office environment also have responsibilities, as do people installing, erecting or commissioning plant. Employers should ensure that all managers, supervisors and employees are aware of their occupational health and safety responsibilities. This should be done through consultation, documenting responsibilities and ensuring there are processes in place to hold people accountable for occupational health and safety performance. Integrating health and safety into office management Systems and processes for the management of health and safety hazards in the office should be built into the day-to-day running of any business. They should be viewed as part of the normal operation of the business. How can this be achieved? Occupational health and safety must be managed systematically (see Figure 1.2). The best system will depend on the nature and size of the business, however, there are a number of aspects to be considered as a basis for any sound occupational health and safety management system. WORKSAFE VICTORIA / OFFICEWISE – A GUIDE TO HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE OFFICE 3 MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE OFFICE Health and Safety Employer Consultation Representative and Employees Hazard IdentificatioIdentificationn Risk Assessment Risk Control Elimination (of the hazard) Evaluation of Controls Substitution Engineering Administration Personal Protective Equipment Trial and Implement Controls Figure 1.2 The hazard management approach Consultation Consultative arrangements should be in place to enable effective cooperation between the employer and employees in developing and promoting measures to ensure employees’ health, safety and welfare at work. Consultation