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Campus Security
Safety and Health Plan
2001
Office Safety
Falls and Back Strains
The two most common types of injury in the office
are falls and strains from over-exertion. In many cases these injuries are caused by the arrangement of
storage and office furniture or articles left on the floor.
To avoid these types of injuries the following safety
considerations should be included in the arrangement plan for the office.
Arrange furniture so that aisles will not be
obstructed by electrical cords, outlets, telephone cords, trash cans, and
open file drawers. Avoid
creating aisles with blind corners.
Arrange files and storage so that frequently used
or heavy material is easy to get to without repetitive and excessive
bending, reaching, climbing, or twisting and lifting at the same time.
Minimize the distance you carry heavy objects.
Video Display Terminals (VDTs)
Various vision and stress problems have been
associated with extended use of video display terminals.
To minimize these problems it is important that each workstation be
designed to reduce stress and that adequate breaks from VDT use be taken.
The distance from the screen to your eyes should be only slightly greater than the distance you
normally maintain between reading material and your eyes.
Seat contours
should follow the contour of your back.
Adjust chair height so that you don’t feel pressure on your tail
bone (seat too low) or lower thighs (seat too high).
Position your chair and keyboard to minimize reaches and so that the height is
comfortable. If you often
look at paper documents while working, use a copy stand, mounted so that
it puts your work on the same plane and at the same height as the screen.
Avoid cradling a telephone between your neck and shoulders when talking and
keyboarding. Use a headset.
Avoid facing windows at your terminal.
Lighting for
frequent computer users should be 50% of the level for normal office
lighting. Don’t place the
work station underneath overhead lighting.
If you can’t control glare in
your office, use a filter screen.
Take a 15-minute break after two hours of continuous VDT work under moderate
visual demands.
Take frequent breaks for every hour for jobs that require more than five
hours of viewing time, constant rapid muscular action, fixed positions for
extended periods of time, or for jobs that are highly repetitive.
Supervisors should schedule alternative work assignments.
Small Heating Appliances
The most significant fire hazard in offices is
associated with small cooking and heating appliances frequently used.
Often these appliances overload circuits or are accidentally left
on overnight. Adequate
clearance from combustibles such as paper must be maintained around space
heaters and cooking appliances. In
general, space heaters should not be connected to extension cords and
should not be used near flammable liquids such as duplicating fluids,
alcohol base cleaners, rubber cement, etc.
Most important, an employee within the office should be assigned to
assure that small appliances are turned off and unplugged at the end of
the workday.
Storage in Mechanical Equipment Rooms or Hallways
Fire and safety rules prohibit the use of
mechanical equipment rooms, electrical closets, hallways, stairways and
attics as office and classroom storage area.
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