There’s nothing more exciting than designing your own building. As an employer, there are many things that you’ll have to take into considerations when you are designing your new work space. A fairly overlooked aspect of designing a workspace is the health and safety considerations.
In a work setting, the employer is responsible for ensuring your office meets all the health and safety requirements set out to protect everyone in the area.
Fire Safety
The first and probably the most important consideration when designing your new office is fire safety. There needs to be a dependable fire safety system in place. You should have fire extinguishers on every floor and make sure that the fire exits are well spaced out through the building.
Equipment and Office Furniture
Trips and falls are one of the most common sources of injuries around the office. It is important to keep the floor clear of electrical cords and anything else that might cause a fall. Consider using cable ties or wire protectors to secure the wires to computers, printers, chargers and more.
Depending on your type of business, your office furniture sets should be of high quality. It should also meet the legal requirements and are easy to adjust to the individual needs.
Layout
An office layout that isn’t well thought out can affect the productivity of your employees as well as their health & safety. Every floor in the office should have an unobstructed view flow. This way, employees feel less segregated and more engaged as there'll be more back and forth. The fire exit on every floor should also be visible in case of emergencies.
Lighting
Lighting is important to the health and productivity of your employees. To save costs on bills, you should consider designing your office so that the major source of light in the office is natural. This way, the natural light flows through the office during the day which reduces eye straining.
Bathrooms
When designing your bathrooms, you need to make sure that it reflects the number of people that are going to be working in the building.
You should also consider disabled access for employees and visitors. Bathrooms should get cleaned frequently to avoid contaminants, make sure there are hand washing facilities including soap and a hand-dryer.
Space
It is important to consider the amount of space you have available to your employees. You want enough space for people to be able to move around safely around the building. You should also remember to consider the space available to you when you’re furnishing the office. For example, your desks need to be big enough to fit computers, telephones and more but they also need to fit into the space available.
*Side note*
It is important to remember, if you have employees working remotely (working from home) there are other health and safety requirements to consider. This includes a risk assessment, training, appropriate office furniture (desks, ergonomic chairs etc.)
Guest post by: Russell Corlett, Health & Safety Director at Peninsula