Office and hazards

Offices vary from multi-storied, air conditioned buildings to small areas that are part of warehouses, factories, hospitals and homes. While hazards in the office may not always be as obvious as those in other workplaces, office workers may face a range of health and safety issues. The issues they may face include poor job design, prolonged repetitive work, moving heavy loads, inadequate lighting and cramped or unsafe work areas.

Office layout and design

An important feature of modern office design is the need for flexibility in office layout, furniture, equipment and the environment to suit the needs of the users and the work they perform.

The provision of adequate space in an office to enable a person to operate effectively is essential. Consideration should also be given to floor surfaces, walkways, partitions, storage, the function of the space and eating and relaxation facilities.

Workstations

The core components of an office workstation include a desk, a chair and the equipment used to perform office tasks. Other furniture may include reception desks, paper storage and collation benches.

When setting up a workstation consideration should be given to:

• tasks to be performed
• equipment and resources to be accommodated
• adjustability to meet the range of different sizes of the users or to allow workers to set up the station to meet the changing demands and variety of tasks they perform
• posture and movement.

Although a wide variety of workstations are used in offices most generally include:

• a desk that is at least 90cm deep to enable the computer screen to be viewed from a comfortable distance
• a chair that provides good back support and which can be easily adjusted to a correct working height
• an adjustable screen
• a keyboard aligned with the computer screen and directly in front of the user
• a mouse
• reference documents placed between the keyboard and the screen or directly alongside the screen
• a footstool
• all necessary equipment within comfortable reach.