Economic and Development Services
Health and Safety Section
Office risk assessments and control measures
Here are some examples of the hazards which will be found in any office or similar
workplace across the Council. Use them as a basis for your risk assessment and to
determine how you will apply the control measures. This is not intended to be an
exhaustive list of hazards or precautions.
When you examine the hazards it may be helpful to consider those which are with
your span of control such as how you manage VDU's, violence to staff, manual
handling tasks etc and those which will need to reported to others, such as heating,
lighting, ventilation. However, managers do need to be aware of these issues and it
is good health and safety management practice to carry out regular inspections to
ensure that the whole workplace is safe. You can combine this with any other
management function that requires your presence in the workplace.
Remember that a hazard is something with the potential to cause harm and that risk
is the chance that harm from a particular hazard may arise. You should not dismiss a
risk simply because it has not yet arisen; we do not wait for accidents to happen we
try to anticipate and take precautions. This is what the risk assessment process is
for.
Consider the first example. The hazard might be the condition of the floor (and what
this implies: is it suitable for purpose eg slip resistant, undamaged, clean and free
from spillage?) The risk is that someone might slip, trip or fall (and what this implies:
on the same level, from a height, would other activities exacerbate the outcome for
example carrying a heavy or hazardous load?)
Flooring
Key Control Measures:
1. Any flooring defects, such as torn carpets, tiles or lifting floor covering to be
immediately rectified if in the main access and egress routes
2. Temporary repairs, eg tape, to be instigated only as an interim measure
3. Information regarding defects or repairs to be passed to staff and, if practicable,
safety representatives
4. Trailing leads and cables across main walk areas to be prevented or protected in
such a manner as to prevent and slips, trips or falls
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Lighting
Key Control Measures:
1. Local task lighting should be provided where necessary
2. All defective light bulbs or florescent tubes be reported and repaired immediately
upon notification of defects
3. Glare within the office areas is to be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable
by positioning of work stations, lighting diffusers, blinds where sunlight is a
problem
4. Only trained and authorised persons deemed competent to carry out repairs to
defective lighting equipment of any description
5. A full IEE inspection and test certificate must be available for the complete
electrical installation
Entrance doors
Key Control Measures:
1. All doors to be adequately maintained to ensure safe operation, eg free
movement, no sharp edges on handles doors or frame
2. Glass doors and panels to have safety glass fitted and manifestation where
necessary
3. Automatic doors to be regularly maintained and checked to ensure that motor
sensor devices are working correctly and to be fitted with an override device in the
event of fire or an alternative escape door provided
Visual Display Units
Key Control Measures:
1. Ensure that display screen equipment (DSE) workstations assessed in
accordance with Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations
2. Ensure that all DSE meets with minimum requirements
3. Ensure that staff are aware of the free provision of eye tests where they are
necessary and keep records of eye tests and examinations
4. Ensure that staff have received suitable information, instruction and training when
using DSE
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Reception desk
Key Control Measures:
1. All visitors to be signed into the visitors book/security passes issued
2. Visitors to be notified to relevant members of staff and accompanied whilst on the
premises
3. Visitors to be briefed on emergency arrangements or details
4. Adequate arrangements based on risk assessment, to be established for the
safety of staff, eg panic alarms, security screens, CCTV and procedures to deal
with an incident
5. Reception staff to be briefed on action to take in event of emergency situations, eg
fire, bomb threat etc
6. Information such as emergency contact numbers, premise address (including
postcode), first aiders etc. to be available
Electrical appliances
Key Control Measures:
1. All staff to be aware of basic electrical safety checks
2. Electrical equipment, both portable and fixed, to be checked and inspected at
regular intervals by a competent person
3. All work on live electrical equipment, eg distribution panels to be subject to a
Permit to Work
4. An inventory of all portable electrical appliances should be maintained
5. All relevant portable appliances subject to inspection and test should be marked
(label/sticker) as to their current status, eg date of next test etc
6. Portable electrical appliances to be visually inspected, prior to use by the user for
obvious signs of damage or fault
7. All users are to report electrical equipment which is poorly maintained
8. Suspect of faulty electrical apparatus must be taken out of use immediately, put in
a secure place and labelled ‘do not use’ until repaired by a competent person
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Office furniture and equipment
Key Control Measures:
1. Office furniture, equipment and electrical appliances to be arranged in order to
obtain maximum safety and use of the facilities
2. Desks, file cabinets etc, to be arranged as far as possible, so the drawers do not
open into circulation space
3. File cabinet drawers to be closed after each use and only one drawer at a time to
be opened to prevent toppling
4. The weight of documents etc, in the file cabinets to be evenly distributed
5. Free standing cabinets, bookcases, and shelving units to be secured to the
walls/floors where necessary
6. Faulty desks, chairs, or other office equipment must be taken out of service or
repaired immediately
7. All office equipment to meet Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations safe equipment, guarding and controls, instructions and training for use,
maintenance
8. Photocopiers to be located in well-ventilated areas
9. Barriers, partitions or dividers to be stable and positioned to afford the best noise
reduction from staff and equipment
Manual handling
Key Control Measures:
1. Staff engaged on manual lifting tasks to be trained to do so in a safe and practical
manner
2. Training to include practical exercises and demonstrations and be recorded
3. Staff should ensure that they obtain help or use trolleys when any large or
awkward/heavy object has to be moved
4. When lifting and carrying loads, staff must make sure that their path is clear and
that there is a safe place to put down the load
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Work equipment – general office
Key Control Measures:
1. All equipment to be designed and suitable for its intended use
2. Equipment to be subject to regular maintenance and records kept
3. Ensure that staff using equipment have been trained as necessary
4. Ensure that staff maintaining the equipment have been trained as necessary
5. All dangerous parts of work equipment to be guarded
6. Equipment provided with controls, including emergency stops, as necessary for
safety
7. Ensure that equipment can be isolated from energy supply for the purposes of
maintenance
8. Equipment properly installed and in a stable condition
9. Environment is suitable – well lit and ventilated
10. Equipment marked with appropriate information and warnings for safe use
Working alone
Key Control Measures:
1. Employee's fitness for the work to be ascertained.
2. Lone workers to be well trained in safe working procedures - all equipment and
procedures capable of being safely operated or handled by one person.
3. Booking out systems and means of communication, such as mobile phone, to be
provided and personal alarms, where necessary, to be provided.
4. Specific consideration given for vulnerable employees, such as pregnant women
and the young.
5. Specific measures to deal with illness and accidents, violence, fire, equipment
failure, adverse weather etc in place.
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Occupational violence
Key Control Measures:
1. Developed procedures and mechanisms in place in the event of a violent incident
2. All staff trained as to requirements and on the developed procedures following full
consultation with directly affected staff
General fire precautions
Key Control Measures:
1. Non-essential electrical appliances switched off and unplugged when not in use
2. Any obvious electrical faults discovered to be reported immediately and repaired
by competent person
3. Regular housekeeping to maintain tidiness, minimise the presence of combustible
material and appropriate storage
4. Ensure that all hazardous materials, eg flammable products are stored safely
5. No smoking policy implemented and monitored
6. When contractors are employed to work in the premises ensure that adequate
provision has been made to control ‘hot works’, eg plumbing
7. Building security to minimise opportunities for arson
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Emergency planning and first aid
Key Control Measures:
1. Procedures to be adopted for any injury, illness, fire or other emergencies that
affect the office staff and the working environment
2. Ensure that first aid facilities provided (including trained first aiders) match the
known risks to staff whilst working
3. Procedures to be in place for reporting and recording all accidents in the
workplace
4. Ensure that the emergency services can gain easy access to all parts of the office
and workplace
5. Ensure that emergency evacuation procedures are in place and rehearsed
6. Assign responsibilities to competent staff who can assist in the event of any
emergency incident
7. Ensure that staff nominated to assist are fully trained in the required duties that
they are expected to perform
Material storage (including substances hazardous to health)
Key Control Measures:
1. Heavy items not to be stored on top of lockers, cabinets or filing cabinets.
2. Stacked materials to be stable
3. Heavy objects to be stored at low level to mitigate awkward lifting
4. Materials to be stored inside cabinets, files, and lockers where possible
5. Corridors, circulation space, window sills etc not to be used for storage
6. Designated storage areas only to be used for that purpose and areas to be locked
when not in use
7. Suitable, separate storage should be provided for flammable or hazardous
substances and handling, storage and use information kept (COSHH
assessments)
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