10 Health and Safety Must Haves for an Office or Home

When it comes to health and safety within an office environment there are certain things that are absolute must haves to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, some of these are legally required or advised by the Health and Safety Executive. Here are the top 10 health and safety must haves to consider for your office.

First Aid Box

The first aid box is one of those things that all offices need and it is a relatively easy requirement to fulfill. There are no set required contents for the first aid box so a combination of sterile plasters, wound dressings, disposable gloves, bandages and antiseptics will suffice, however these should all be individually wrapped in a sterile packaging.  It is advised that medicines are not stored in the first aid box. Ensure everyone in the office is aware of where the first aid box is located so in an emergency it can be accessed as soon as possible.

Appointed Person

An office must have an appointed person who takes care of the first aid box, any related equipment, attending to any issues that may arise and being the one responsible for calling the emergency services if it was required. An appointed person does not need to have any former experience or training in first aid although it would be recommended as they are not a first aid person nor should they give any first aid such as CPR to people if they have not being trained to do so.

First Aider

A First Aid person can work with the appointed person to ensure that the first aid requirements of the office are fulfilled with employees working in a safe environment. A first aid person must have some form of first aid training in order to be able to give any first aid if it was required.

Accident Book

An accident book is a way of reporting any accidents or injuries that occur in the work place. It is important to keep track of everything that happens in the office so you can work against these incidents happening again.

Facilities

It is essential that as an employer your employees health and welfare are considered at all points and this goes as far as ensuring that you are providing drinking water which is readily available. In addition to this a clean working environment, toilet facilities.

Temperature Control

It is important to note that there is a comfortable working temperature and this needs to be maintained. You can do this through a thermostat or simply a thermometer to use in order to regularly check the temperature of the environment. The recommended temperature for an office is 16 degrees centigrade.

Fire Extinguishers

An office should have a selection of fire extinguishers fitted in an accessible place for each type of fire that may occur. These are water for wood and paper, powder for electrical fires, foam for liquid and CO2 for liquid and electrical fires.

Fire Safety Training

All employees should be aware of what happens in the office if a fire did happen to take place. Factors such as fire exits, safety considerations and so on should all be covered. It is important that the employees in the office know where the different fire extinguishers are located and which type of fire they need to be used on to avoid further issues if a fire ever did happen.

Fire Marshal

Like the appointed first aid person there should be an individual dedicated to fire safety in the office. The fire marshal will be responsible for evacuating the building, working to reduce the chance of a fire taking place through fire prevention methods and training others. Fire safety training courses are available from Lighthouse to ensure that a Fire Marshal is fully trained and versed in all aspects of fire safety.

Health and Safety Policy

For businesses with over five employees a health and safety policy must be in place and in writing. This policy must cover factors such as the office’s approach to health and safety issues, identify who the competent persons are such as the first aider, appointed person and fire marshal and finally detail how the employees should act in the case of a health and safety emergency.

This article was written by http://www.lighthouseriskservices.co.uk/ a leading health and safety and employment law consultancy. For more infomation please visit their website