General Office Risk Assessments
GENERAL OFFICE RISK ASSESSMENTS
Reviewed January 2015 by Jude Hoy (H&S Officer) with input from Laura Crawford and Chris Spencer
RISK ASSESSMENTS ARE REQUIRED BY HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW.
All Risk Assessments must be kept readily accessible for easy reference by staff and Charnwood Borough Council.
Carriage of money
HAZARDS:
Attacks on individuals
Stress caused for individuals
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
If money is demanded in a threatening situation, it should be handed over to the assailant. Staff should not put themselves in danger to protect Union money.
Money must be kept in a safe, unless being handled.
Money must be handled in the presence of at least 2 people, unless specifically agreed by the Department Manager.
Money should be counted and kept behind lockable doors, unless specifically agreed by the Department Manager.
Where money is regularly carried, it should be done so at differing times of the day, so that regular schedules cannot be picked up by outsiders.
Rules apply to the amount of money being carried and the number of people required to accompany it. These should be followed at all times:
Up to £2,000 requires 1 employee
Between £2,001 and £5,000 requires 2 employees
Between £5,001 and £7,500 requires 3 employees
Between £7,501 and £10,000 requires 4 employees
General Office Furniture, such as desks, filing cabinets and bookshelves
HAZARDS:
Damage to self and clothing from sharp corners or open drawers.
Filing cabinets tipping over and causing injury.
Trapping fingers when closing drawers.
Items falling from office furniture and causing injury.
Banging heads on shelves.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
Desks and filing cabinets must be checked regularly for any damage by their users.
Filing cabinets and desks must be placed where there is ample room to move when drawers are fully extended.
Drawers must not be left open when not in use.
Only one drawer at a time must be left opened.
Drawers should be closed carefully and with full concentration.
Filing cabinets should be loaded so that the heaviest weight is present in lower drawers.
Heavy books, boxes and other heavy materials should NOT be placed at height on bookshelves, but stored low down where they present no hazard.
The height and positioning of shelves should be such that it is unlikely that people, of varying heights, will bang their heads.
General Obstructions
HAZARDS:
Falling items and collisions causing injury.
Tripping over items.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
Walkways must be kept clear at all times.
Staff must walk, rather than run, in the office environment.
Staff must make regular visual checks of the working environment to ensure it is clear of obstructions.
Electrical Equipment
HAZARD:
Electrocution
Cables stretched and damaged possibly resulting in electrocution or fire.
Falling or tripping over causing injury to self or others.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
“Chaining” must be avoided. This is where you have an extension lead plugged into another extension lead. By moving the equipment around you often eliminate the need for this at all. However if you cannot overcome it, please contact Maintenance.
Sockets must not be overloaded.
Plug sockets and extension leads should also NOT be covered by clothing and general items which could ignite.
If electrical equipment fails, the failure must be reported to the Maintenance dept immediately. The item should not be used further. It should then be either moved so no-one else is able to use it or a sticker/poster put on it say “Do not use, broken”.
Staff must not tinker with any electrical equipment and under no circumstances try to fix any broken electrical equipment.
ALL REPAIRS MUST BE DONE BY A COMPETENT ELECTRICAN.
Electrical equipment must be placed so that the cables are not stretched and damaged.
Cables should be checked for integrity, paying particular attention that outer insulation cable is secured to the mains plug.
Equipment must be placed securely on desks, cupboards etc.
All cables must be placed along walls or placed under the correct cable covers to prevent equipment being dragged off surface due to the cable being pulled.
All electrical equipment must be switched off after use and plugs removed from their sockets before leaving the office for long periods.
Electrical equipment should be regularly PAT tested.
Maintenance should be informed of any electrical equipment, with a plug, that is brought in for use at LSU.
Kettles in the workplace
HAZARDS:
Pouring boiling water over oneself or others.
Tripping over flex or wires and causing injury.
Electrocution
Burns from steam or kettle
Fires
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
Kettle and flex must be checked regularly for any damage.
Kettle must be regularly PAT tested.
The kettle must be placed on a flat surface, with adequate room to manoeuvre the kettle, the flex and wire, whilst filling cups, teapots etc.
Always consider the position of the kettle in relation to other electrical equipment e.g. do not place on the top of computer base/printer/photocopier etc.
Wires and the flex should be sufficiently long enough to allow the kettle to be utilised without stretching them.
Wires and the flex must be able to move freely, without obstructions, as the otherwise the kettle may be pulled or jerked out of the user’s hands.
A kettle full of boiling water must NEVER be moved way from its position. Cups, teapots, coffeepots etc. must have sufficient room to be placed next to the kettle to be filled.
There should be no other equipment near the kettle, wire or flex that could cause an obstruction.
Kettle should be placed so that you do not need to reach over it to fetch other objects in order to make tea or coffee etc.
Kettle should NOT be switched on with little or no water in. It should be filled to the Minimum level at least.
Kettle should be filled with sufficient water for your needs, rather than always to the Maximum level.
Kettle plug must be switched off when the flex is removed from the back of the kettle.
ALWAYS ensure that the kettle is switched off at the mains before filling the kettle with a jug or bottle of water.
Any near accident with a kettle should be reported to the Health and Safety Officer or Dept Manager IMMEDIATELY
IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE PLACEMENT OF A KETTLE, PLEASE SPEAK TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER.
Lifting and Carrying (Manual Handling)
HAZARDS:
Back and other injuries
Injuries due to dropping a heavy object
Slips, trips or falls due to carrying of objects.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
All staff should complete an individual LSU Manual Handling self-assessment Questionnaire. This identifies any individual problem areas with Manual Handling. This should be done/redone annually ideally or at least every two years (minimum).If a staff member has any individual problem areas highlighted, then an INDIVIDUAL full LSU Manual Handling Risk Assessment should be completed by the Dept Leader.
Training in Manual Handling must be completed by all staff.
Always consider if the object really must be moved.
Trolleys/lifts must be used where possible.
Do not lift too much. Assess the weight of the object before lifting and if the item is too heavy get somebody to help.
If two people are lifting, discuss the method of lifting and carrying first, trying to ensure a united effort.
For heavy or difficult lifts the people involved should be of a similar height and strength.
For objects with sharp edges, splinters, etc. use gloves.
When lifting, the back should be straight, feet apart.
If the load is on the ground or on a desk this will mean bending the knees with balance being maintained by moving on to the balls of the feet if necessary.
THE LIFTING STRAIN SHOULD BE TAKEN BY THE THIGH MUSCLES WHICH ARE STRONGER THAN THE ARM OR BACK MUSCLES. Bend your knees, not your back.
When turning with a load, move the feet.
Do not twist the body.
Hold the object close to the body.
Make sure that you can see where you are going.
On set down, reverse the lift procedure.
IF IN DOUBT DO NOT ATTEMPT THE LIFT, BUT SEEK FURTHER ADVICE
Portable Appliances
HAZARDS:
Electrical/Mechanical issues leading to injury.
Electrocution.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
Any item with a plug must be PAT tested. It is the responsibility of all staff to notify Maintenance if they bring in any equipment to work that requires PAT testing.
Any new purchases of electrical equipment must be PAT tested before use. It is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify Maintenance of the purchase.
All items are tested regularly by Maintenance on a rolling programme.
Staff are instructed to report any faults and to cease using faulty equipment immediately.
Any faulty equipment should be reported immediately to Maintenance and removed for repair.
Trailing Cables
HAZARDS:
Tripping over which could cause physical damage to self or cause damage to the equipment.
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
Telephones and electrical equipment should be placed so that the minimum amount of cable is exposed.
If possible, cables should trail along walls, but if they must cross walkways they must be placed under special cable covers or securely taped if the positioning is only temporary.
Regular checks must be made to ensure trailing wires are not a problem, particularly when new equipment is brought into the office, or existing equipment is moved about.
Work Stations and VDU Screens (Display Screen Equipment)
HAZARD:
Eye strain, Repetitive strain injuries
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
A “USER” CAN BE DEFINED AS A PERSON WHO EXPERIENCES CONTINUAL PROLONGED USE OF DSE OR WHOSE PATTERN OF WORK INCLUDES SUBSTANTIAL USE OF DSE.
A “USER” SHOULD COMPLETE A FULL DSE SELF-AUDIT USING EITHER: LSU DSE Self-Assessment Questionnaire or the interactive DSE Assessment Questionnaire
THE ACTION POINTS ARISING FROM THIS SHOULD BE CHECKED BY DEPT MANAGER.
It is the responsibility of each User to undertake a DSE Self-Assessment regularly, ideally annually or if anything changes in the working environment which may affect DSE use.
For staff who work at home, a DSE Self-Assessment Questionnaire/Assessment should also be completed for the home workstation.
For staff using iPads or laptops for work, a separate DSE Self-Assessment Questionnaire/Assessment should be completed. In addition, iPad and portable pc guidelines should be adhered to.
Users are allowed to have an appropriate eye test, upon request, that may identify the need for corrective appliances for DSE work.
Users are provided with health and safety training in the use of workstations by LSU.
Regular breaks should be taken when using the VDU for extended periods. Approximately every 20 minutes or half an hour, a task should be undertaken that takes the User away from the screen and varies eye focus.
Chairs and workstations must be adjusted to find the most working comfortable position for the User.
As a broad guide, arms should be approximately horizontal and eyes at the same height as the top of the VDU casing.
Ensure there is enough space underneath the desk to move legs freely. Move any obstacles such as boxes or equipment.
Avoid excess pressure on the backs of legs and knees. A footrest, particularly for smaller users, may be helpful.
Staff must not sit in the same position for long periods. Posture should be altered as often as practicable. Some movement is desirable, but repeated stretching movements should be avoided.
Keyboard and screen must be altered to get a good keying and viewing position. A space in front of the keyboard is sometimes helpful for resting the hands and wrists while not keying.
Hands must not be bent at the wrists when keying. A soft touch on the keys should be maintained and fingers must not be stretched. Good keyboard technique is important.
Different layouts of keyboard, screen and document holder should be tried to find the best arrangement.
Work space must be cleared sufficiently to take whatever documents are needed. A document holder may help avoid awkward neck movements.
Desks and screens must be placed so that bright lights are not reflected in the screen. Users must not be directly facing windows or bright lights. Curtains and blinds should be positioned to prevent unwanted light.
The screen characters should be sharply focused and can be able to be read easily. They should not flicker or move.
The screen should be cleaned regularly to ensure there are no layers of dirt, grime or finger marks.
The brightness control on the screen must be altered to suit the lighting conditions in the room.
IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS YOU THINK MAY BE CONNECTED WITH YOUR VDU WORK, YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR DEPARTMENT LEADER OR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER.
Working Alone and Out of Hours
HAZARDS:
Injuries to self
Being trapped in the building during an evacuation
CONTROL MEASURES IN PLACE:
When working alone out of hours staff MUST notify the Duty Manager. This is vitally important and the responsibility of each staff member individually.
Out of hours between 6-9pm weekdays do this by emailing;
Out of hours after 9pm weekdays and at weekends during the day and night.
This can be achieved by EITHER:
1. speaking IN PERSON to the relevant Duty Manager
2. phoning JC’s bar on 635010 and telling the bar staff clearly who you are, where you are working and asking them to inform the Duty Manager immediately.
In all cases Staff must then inform the Duty Manager when they subsequently leave the building
All lights in the office should be left on and any doors should remain unlocked to signal your presence in the office to others.
STAFF MUST NEVER PERFORM HAZARDOUS TASKS WHEN ALONE.
If a hazardous task is to be completed at least one other member of staff should be present, and the Dept. Leader informed. A Risk Assessment should be completed before the task is undertaken and all those involved should be consulted and then informed as to its recommendations.