, somene told me of how a colleague of theirs caught his in the rollers of of huge shredder, the type which were prevalent in offices for the disposal of confidential records before we all went paperless. It was absolutely hilarious for a few moments, until everyone realised that actually this machine was strangling him as it ground its way relentlessly through his tie and dragged his face closer and closer to the cutting blades. Someone stopped laughing, grabbed a pair of scissors and released him. It only cost him a faux silk tie from Tierack and a lot of joshing, but thinking about it, it really it could have been a lot worse.
Safety in the office often doesn't come uppermost in managers' minds when planning for risk in the workplace, and yet actually it's an environment where an accident is waiting to happen.
An office supply company, 'Kit Out My Office', recently undertook a survey which came up with these common examples of office accidents. People simply found them embarrassing - so they said - but putting aside being attacked for provoking the office cat, let's read between the lines and there's some serious risk hidden here.
Top five embarrassing office accidents:
1 Attacked by the office cat
2 Falling over a wet floor sign
3 The first aid box falling onto someone out of a cupboard
4 Cutting an eye with a piece of paper
5 Picking up a stapler and putting your back out
So, adding that up, we’ve got slip and trip, unsafe stacking, a possible PPE need and musculoskeletal injury - perhaps long-term. Although it all seems a bit of a laugh, there are actually some real issues to be considered.
Interestingly, the research found there are also some gender patterns about reporting and blame here too, with women most likely to report injury but not claim, and men not as good at reporting but more likely to blame others and look for compensation from employers. An employee “Falling over a wet floor sign” could actually be a very nasty surprise waiting for you round the corner in a few months or years’ time.
When you've had a ponder about this, why not check out our training videos related to office safety and avoiding common workplace injuries and our health and safety consultancy services? You'll find more information here: http://www.isosure.com/health-and-safety/
And don't forget "Good Health and Safety Doesn’t Happen by Accident".
Steve Newton
Director, Isosure Limited
ps You can read more about this topic here http://palife.co.uk/news/brits-reveal-their-most-embarrassing-office-accidents/.
I formed Isosure in 2003 to provide consultancy and training in Health and Safety, Environmental and Quality Management Systems. I am also a Certified Management Consultant, a qualified coach/mentor…
