General office duties

Although an office is traditionally a low-risk environment, a few hazards do exist. Use our document to identify and manage them. 

Managing the risks

As such, we have followed its approach in our example Risk Assessment – General Office Duties document.  It covers the generic hazards found in an office environment and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level.

Slips, trips and falls

These risks appear in all workplaces and often result in serious accidents. So you need to ensure that you’ve implemented appropriate precautions, such as good housekeeping, undamaged flooring, e.g. no loose carpet etc., cables and wires are contained and walkways are kept free from rubbish and not used as storage areas (this is also important when assessing fire-related risks).

Manual handling

Although moving objects etc. aren’t often core office activities, it is something that happens in all offices - be it boxes of paper, rubbish bins, water bottles etc. So, you need to ensure that your staff have had basic instruction in lifting techniques. If many items are being moved, make sure you have trolleys or other suitable lifting equipment. 

Display screen use

Using a PC for a prolonged period is known to have certain risks associated with it. These include various musculoskeletal problems, eyestrain etc. Identify any general hazards on your office risk assessment and then pick up any specific workstation issues with a display screen risk assessment.

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive. For your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards associated with your workplace.