Office Safety (US)

Although accidents involving office personnel generally occur less frequently than mishaps to industrial workers, they do still occur and can result in serious injuries and even death. A broken bone sustained from a fall in an office costs just as much to treat as a broken bone caused by a fall in the plant. Although most office injuries are not serious, even slight injuries may result in lost workdays, which interfere with normal operations. Working in an office brings with it a set of health and safety concerns. In addition to obvious hazards such as slippery floors or an open file drawer, a modern office may also contain hazards such as poor lighting, noise, poorly designed furniture, chemicals, and equipment and machines that emit gases and vapors. Even the nature of office work itself has produced a whole host of stress-related symptoms and musculoskeletal strains. For example, long hours at a poorly designed computer workstation can cause pains in the neck and back, shoulders, lower extremities, arms, wrists, hands, eyestrain, and a general feeling of tension and irritability. Office safety is everyone's responsibility. It involves two major factors: first, you must understand what you can do to stay safe on the job; and second, you need to be aware of how to correct unsafe conditions. This course will provide you with the information you need to work more safely in your office environment.