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In this Health & Safety Update we are covering the following, Ø Workstation Risk Assessments a Must for the modern Office Ø A new Health & Safety Hazard Risk Assessment Service Ø Investing in Adjustable Workstations Produces Healthy ROI Ø Green Tips for the Office Workstation Risk Assessments a must for the modern Office. Meet your Health and Safety requirements with our professional DSE (Display Screen Equipment) Risk Assessments for office staff. We offer a unique package of individual workstation assessments, combined with posture training, for all sizes of businesses. Our Comprehensive Evaluation
Our individual workstation risk assessments comply with the Health and Safety Act 1992. The package uniquely combines analysis of the workstation with the user's posture and body use. Our highly trained team offer on-site training for staff to prevent and alleviate work-related pain such as RSI and lower back pain. The assessments cover the following: · Comprehensive evaluation of the workstation · Evaluation of work activities · Evaluation of posture and body use · Workstation modifications and recommendations · Advice on ergonomic solutions. · Work activity recommendations · Posture training · An on-site check list report · A fully comprehensive written report is provided. With many thousands of Workstation Risk Assessments completed throughout New Zealand in Government Departments, corporate offices, small businesses and home office set ups, business is seeing the benefits of these WRA through a decrease in sick leave usage. When talking about overuse conditions we talk in millimetres as being critical. The slightest degree out at the elbow for example can cause a major upset in the neck and or the shoulders. Small problems often equate to large injuries and the associated costs. Our 35 point risk assessment achieves two important things. Firstly we make sure that your staff is sitting in the correct way for the tasks that they are completing. We educate them on why they need to sit like that and what will happen if they use their computer while sitting at the incorrect angles. On most occasions we can tell a staff member where they are suffering aches and pains even before they mention it. Ergonomics is very precise. Call 09 268 9612 today to book your Workstation Risk Assessments.
Our New Annual Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessment Business Risk Assessment Limited has designed a new Annual Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessment to add to its range of Health & Safety Risk Assessments and Health & Safety Stress Assessments. The benefit of having us complete your Annual Health & Safety Hazard Review is having an independent view of your commercial premises. Having a fresh set of eyes look at your premises and your processes will often uncover elements of safety or a lack of safety that are taken for granted by those who work there. Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessments should be completed on an annual basis as required by the Health & Safety Act 1992. These reviews along with our Workstation Risk Assessment reports can be used as evidence in any ACC or Labour Department Audits you may undergo. Another benefit to having an independent Hazard Review completed is that we will keep records of your review and remind you when it is time to have the annual review redone. What we will look at during this assessment; Our Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessment uses a combination of Specific Controls and Checks. These are Visual Checks, Verbal Samples and Evidential Copies of Documents. Visual Checks are just that. Our assessor looks at different areas of your building and completes a check-list covering all the points below. The Visual Checks cover 10 Points under General Health & Safety Information 15 Points under Fire Safety 6 Points under First Aid 10 Points under Electrical Safety 4 Points under Work Environment Safety 6 Points under Walking Surfaces 6 Points under Stairways, Aisles, Storage Rooms, Hall, Emergency Exits and Fire Extinguishers 4 Points under Bookcases, Shelves and Cabinets and 9 Points under Electrical Safety, Chairs, Chemical Products, Step ladders, Stools and Air Movement. This makes a total of 70 points assessed and reported on. The Verbal Sample will be a random sample of staff based on a percentage of total staff where these selected people will be asked questions relating to aspects of the company's Health & Safety Policies. Most of these questions will be drawn from any staff induction program your business operates, the answers to which all your staff members should be aware of. Maximum time period for these questions is 5 minutes. The evidential part of this Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessment is where your Health & Safety Manager will be asked to produce copies of documents that should make up your Business Health & Safety Policy. These Health & Safety Hazard Review Assessments are to be seen as a way of verifying what you believe is happening in your business is what is actually happening, and once completed they will give you the assurance that your Health & Safety Policies and Procedures are robust and not likely to cause you any major concerns in the future. At the completion of the Health & Safety Annual Hazard Review Assessment you will receive a copy of the assessment notes showing what can be considered Satisfactory and what areas need Corrective Action. A date will be set in conjunction with the Health & Safety Manager or Coordinator as to when these Corrective Actions need to be completed by. A follow up check will be carried out following the completion of the Corrective Action and this visit will be noted on the Original Documents. Then a final updated copy of the Health & Safety Annual Hazard Review Assessment will be sent to you. It is a condition of the Health & Safety Act 1992 that an annual hazard review be completed. Let us know if we can assist you with your annual Hazard Review. We have more than 20 years experience in providing assessment services to government departments, large and small businesses and the Social Enterprise sector throughout New Zealand. Phone 09 268 9612 today to book a time to have your business’s Annual Hazard Review completed. It is too late to find out what didn’t work after an emergency situation. The cost of having an Annual Hazard Review pales into insignificant compared with the fines for not getting it right. Green Tips for the Office Office Tips - Bring back the errand-boy or girl. Rather than having lots of employees running in and out of the office for various reasons throughout the day, designate one person who can handle most or all of the out-of-office tasks in one trip, whether it’s picking up lunch, dropping off mail at the post office, making deliveries, etc.
- Watch the paper and ink. Avoid printing documents that could just as easily be emailed, and print necessary papers on both sides. It also helps to institute a recycling program, and to switch to recycled paper and water-based inks.
- Consider replacing ageing desktop computers with laptops instead, which can use up to 70 percent less electricity and generate less heat waste.
- Turn off any equipment that doesn’t need to be on when you’re not in the office, and — if possible — unplug them too. Every computer left turned on overnight and every coffee pot left plugged in eats up electricity and costs your company money.
- Start a bring-your-own coffee mug policy for the break room and ditch the foam cups. Your company will reduce waste and save money as well.
- Bring real plants into the office. Fake greenery might be low-maintenance, but the real thing adds beauty and oxygen to your surroundings.
- Reprogram the thermostat. Each degree warmer you leave the thermostat in summer, and each degree cooler you set it in the winter can save 6 to 8 percent in energy costs.
- Look into telecommuting. Every commute not taken saves on money, time and fossil fuel. Plus, studies have found that telecommuting boosts productivity too.
- Switch to fair-trade, shade-grown coffee and a reusable coffee filter for the office coffee pot. Reusable filters reduce waste and shade-grown coffee protects biodiversity in coffee-growing countries.
- Stock your lunch room with foods provided by local farmers. As many colleges and universities have already discovered, locally grown foods are more appealing and healthful than the processed stuff shipped cross-country
The following are basic steps that most offices can implement right away. It may help for the business to designate one or two people per floor or department to enforce these tasks. Easy Ways to Save Energy at the Office - Turn off all lights when not in use, especially at night and over the weekend.
- Turn heating and air conditioning down at night and over the weekend. During work, businesses should keep them low and find resourceful ways of staying cool or warm, like drinking tea and taking breaks to move around when too cold. Plastic window insulation helps conserve energy and save money.
- Shut down computers every night, before weekends or long absences.
- Unplug items like coffee makers, toasters, and even microwaves when leaving the office for the night and weekend. Electrical currents are still present when these appliances are plugged in, but not in use.
Ways to Conserve, Recycle, and Reuse at the Office - Recycle batteries, old electronics, finished ink toner cartridges. By making a designated place where these items can be placed, more people are likely to do it rather than hesitate and just throw them out.
- Make sure to have a supply of glasses, silverware, and plates for eating. No paper cups, plates, plastic water bottles, or plastic silverware should be purchased for the office, unless they are compost-able.
- Recycling bins should be large enough and placed in key locations (even bathrooms for wet paper towels) so that employees know to use them and don’t revert to the trash can upon seeing a stuffed recycling bin.
- A clearly visible poster explaining items that can and cannot be recycled should be posted in a common gathering area.
- Paper should not be printed out unless absolutely necessary, and if so, should be printed double-sided.
Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Office Products One of the most important eco-friendly purchases one can make for both the office and home is green cleaning products. Most work just as well as non-green cleaners and are not only better for the environment, but for the health of employees as well. Put some or all of these Green Tips into your business and start saving money immediately. |
