Safety

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Office Ergonomics

Image of Office Work

Introduction

Offices vary from multi-storeyed, air conditioned buildings to small areas that are part of warehouses, factories, hospitals and homes. While hazards in the office may not always be as obvious as those in factories, office workers may also face a range of health and safety issues, including poor job design, prolonged repetitive work, moving heavy loads, inadequate lighting and cramped or unsafe work areas.

The information on these pages is offered to assist in raising awareness of health and safety issues in the office, and to help in identifying existing and potential health and safety problems in office environments.

Workstation Assessment Checklists

These checklists should be used to identify and assess ergonomic risks associated with computer-based workstations:

See also: Technical Note: How to use our interactive PDF forms.

Office Ergonomics Topics

Office Chairs

  1. Office Chairs
  2. Alternate Office Seating

Computer, Mouse and Keyboard
  1. Computer Mouse
  2. Keyboard
  3. Common Problems with Computer

Workstations, Document Holders and Telephones

  1. Work Surface Layout
  2. Common Problems with Workstations
  3. Document Holder
  4. Telephones
  5. Laptop Computers

Office Environment and Storage
  1. Office Storage
  2. Common Problems with Lighting

Prevention Strategies and Systems of Work

  1. Early Intervention and Prevention Strategies
  2. Rest Breaks
  3. Health and Fitness
  4. Working from Home

Further Information

For advice, please contact the EHS Unit.

Information on these pages is adapted from the following publication, which is available for download as a further resource:
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