Office Health and Safety Updated

Learn about potential health and safety hazards in offices and how to work safely.

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Snapshot of the publication's Table of Contents — Table of contents page for Office Health and Safety

Objectives

Scope

Target Audience

Introduction

Section I
Basic Rules of Safety

The Law Says
Basic Elements of On-the-Job Safety
Safety Tips for Employees
Safety Tips for Supervisors and Employers

Section II
Health and Safety Policy and Programs

Introduction
Health and Safety Policy
Health and Safety Program Elements
Workplace Inspections
Job Safety Analysis and Safety Procedures
Incident Reporting and Investigation
Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management Plan
First Aid, Serious Incidents, and Fatalities
Organizational Policies
Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

Section III
Common Health and Safety Hazards in Office Workplaces

Introduction
Types of Health and Safety Hazards in Offices
Basic Steps in Risk Prevention / Hazard Identification Methods
Identification of Safety Hazards
Identification of Health Hazards
Identification of Stress and Psychosocial Concerns
Hazard Control
Health and Safety Issues Related to Temporary or Satellite Offices

Section IV
Office Ergonomics

Introduction
Workstation Design
Work Organization
Work Environment
Computer Workplace Ergonomic Checklist
Manual Material Handling (Lifting, Pushing/Pulling, etc.)

Section V
Office Specific Health and Safety Concerns and Preventive Measures

Exposure to Scents
Exposure to Chemicals
Indoor Air Quality
Exposure to Mould
Personal Safety and Security
Potential Safety Hazards in Offices
Slips, Trips and Falls
Effective Housekeeping Program
Safety When Driving
Weather Extremes

Appendices

Appendix A – Sample Health and Safety Program Checklist

Appendix B – Office Inspection Checklist

Appendix C – Sample Fire Emergency Procedures

Appendix D – Sample Crisis Management Plan

Appendix E – Sample Bomb Threat Action Plan

Appendix F – Sample Emergency Evacuation Plan

Appendix G – Commonly Used Abbreviations

Section VI
Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

Section VII
Information Sources

General Health and Safety Questions
Canadian Government Departments Responsible for Occupational Health and Safety

Single book:: $20.00 $20.00 ^*

Format:: PDF

Language:: English | French

Description

Designed and written as a practical workplace training and reference tool, this 164-page pocket guide is filled with clear language text including safety tips, charts, diagrams, checklists and illustrations.

Objectives

This guide provides an overview of potential health and safety hazards in offices and offers ways to work safely.

Scope

This guide covers potential health and safety hazards in typical offices and ways of preventing risk of injuries and illnesses related to office work. It provides information about and preventive measures for office specific health and safety concerns, such as exposure to scents and chemicals, indoor air quality, personal safety and security, slips, trips, and falls, as well as stress and other psychosocial hazards. The main focus is the integration of health and safety within all aspects of office work.

Note: This guidance is not meant to replace requirements outlined in occupational health and safety legislation. Always check and follow the regulatory requirements in your jurisdiction.

Target Audience

Anyone who works in an office – including workers, human resources professionals, health and safety committees, and health and safety professionals will benefit from this guide. Office managers will find it to be a useful reference in developing policies and practices to prevent injury and illness. This guide is also a useful resource that can be used as handout material for employee orientation and training sessions.

Each publication produced by CCOHS undergoes several stages of review. As part of this review, representatives from government, employers, and labour are requested to comment on draft copies of CCOHS documents for technical accuracy and readability.

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information, it is understood that CCOHS makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such information and assumes no liability for any damages or loss suffered as a result of any inaccuracy or incompleteness therein.

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The CCOHS Difference

CCOHS publications are unique in that they are developed by subject specialists in the field, and reviewed by representatives from labour, employers and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible.