Commander's Corner
Garrison Commander
Fort McPherson & Fort Gillem
It may be easy to sit in your office and reflect on how much safer your job is than that of professionals who work outside of an office.
After all, those individuals who work in the manufacturing, maintenance, construction, service and other industries are constantly scaling heights, working with heavy or potentially harmful equipment and maneuvering around other visible safety risks.
Yet, according to Rice University in Houston, the disabling injury rate of falls, the most common work-related accident, is 2 to 2.5 percent higher for office workers than for non-office employees.
Additionally, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration estimates office workers sustain 76,000 fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains and contusions each year. Sadly, most of these incidents could have been avoided through good housekeeping and by following basic safety principles.
Non-office workers are trained to constantly be aware of their surroundings and to take actions as they become evident to ensure the safety of themselves and their co-workers. Unfortunately, many of our office workers become complacent. We see fire and safety inspectors walk through our buildings and assume that we're safe because of their actions.
While those individuals do incredible jobs and we're much safer due to their efforts and attention to detail, each of us is responsible for office safety.
How cognizant are you of the actions you take that could harm yourself or others'
Aca,!Ac When you walk down stairs, are you reading or talking to others rather than paying attention to the steps' Are your arms so loaded with notebooks, papers and other materials that you can't hold the handrail'
Aca,!Ac When you walk in from the rain, do you leave a trail of water behind for those who follow to slip on'
Aca,!Ac When you move boxes or equipment, do you think about how you're lifting them' Do you think about the safest place to put the items so they're not on the edge of a piece of furniture or on top of a file cabinet, where they could potentially fall on someone'
Aca,!Ac After using a paper cutter, do you leave the sharp arm poised in the air, or do you place it securely next to the body of the cutter'
Aca,!Ac When opening file drawers, do you consider the possibility of overbalancing if you pull the drawer out too far or pull out more than one drawer at the same time' Do you leave the drawer open for others to trip on'
Aca,!Ac When you want to proudly hang your latest framed certificate or award on the wall, do you wait until you have access to a sturdy ladder, or do you climb on a chair, desk or other piece of furniture'
Aca,!Ac How many extension cords do you have plugged in other extension cords'
These questions are based on very simple principles that require little action on our part to ensure our work environments are as safe as we can make them.
If your shoe gets caught in a tear in carpet, you may make a mental note to be careful of that spot in the future, but do you take the time to report the tear to your building manager or unit safety officer so it can be repaired'
Two or three minutes of effort on your part could save someone a great deal of pain and suffering.
Office safety concerns come in a variety of forms, including lighting, noise, small appliance reliability, furniture and access to exits. Being vigilant in office safety means knowing what to look for and taking the effort to make things better.
Many basic safety principles are based on common sense - after all, do you really need someone to tell you not to leave wires and cords dangling or laying in an aisle or hallway'
Still, I encourage you to learn more - whether it be your first tutorial on office safety or a refresher. Sources of information are abundant - from our on-post experts and unit safety officers to the Internet, the information is easy to obtain. It may be harder to change your habits to make them more safety-centered.
Take a few minutes to look around your cubicle, your office, the common areas in your organization, the hallway outside your office and other areas you travel to and through.
Is your chair on sturdy coasters' What about the other chairs in the office - if others sit at them, such as at a conference table, do they provide support, or do you feel like you're falling if you lean back' Do you work with equipment that is damaged or missing safety devices, such as guards or shields' Is your work area ergonomically correct, or does it cause you pain' Do you have piles of paper that should be filed' Are pens, scissors and other sharp objects stored with the point down'
Ask yourself - what can you do to make your work environment safer'
Social Sharing