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Office Health & Safety

At Dragonfly Office Interiors we consider Health and Safety to be of paramount importance when designing an office environment.

Before you decide on an ideal design for your office and workstations, it is important to determine exactly what type of work will be going on within the space you have. Once you have determined this, you also need to give thought to the comfort factor for you and your employees. This is the place where a lot of time will be spent, therefore any design needs to take this into account.

It is important to allow each employee their own personal space, in which they can arrange their assignments and desktop. The provision of screens should be considered if their work involves extensive telephone communication, in order to prevent distractions from other areas of the office which might interfere with their work.

However, it is just as essential to maintain relationships and communication within the office. Therefore, it may be advisable to provide either a part of the office, or even a separate room, such as a conference area, with an open-plan design, in which employees can discuss related projects in order to co-ordinate their efforts.

When considering the type of workstation best suited to your employees' needs it is wise to consult them. If the nature of the work demands use of both desk space and a computer, then L-shaped desks are useful. This enables your employees to move quickly from computer to desk, without being cramped next to the monitor and keyboard.

The following considerations should be addressed when looking to design or redesign an office:

• Nature of work:
  • thought should be given to the position of the employee within the office. For example, a receptionist is ideally placed near the entrance to the office in order to deal with any enquiries. Those involved in communication with clients via the telephone should have a more secluded position so that they can deal privately with their contacts.
• Light:
  • ideally, each employee should be near to a window to provide some natural light.
• Space:
  • each worker should have ample space to tackle their tasks, without the distraction of other workers being too close by.
• Adaptability:
  • employees should have a certain amount of freedom to adapt their workstation to their own personal requirements, and should also have a say in the location and position of their workspace.
• New and current technology:
  • it is important to consider the technological requirements of your employees. Most employees will require a telephone line, and separate connections for ICT equipment and hardware. An adequate number of plug sockets should also be available.

Matching the workplace to the comfort needs of your workers is the basic tenet of ergonomic practice. If you are prepared to create an ergonomic office, you can reduce the potential of those workers developing physical problems which affect productivity and attendance, not to mention would-be compensation claims. Well-designed office furniture is a positive step for the health and morale of your employees.

Seating

One of the most important features of the ergonomic office is the chair you sit in. Hours will be spent using it, so the more you can spend on good office chairs, the better. Its design will affect the way you work and for how long.

It's important to select the right office chairs. So take the time to try them out for comfort and, importantly, adjustability.

If you are unable to afford the more expensive chairs, consider some accessories. Wedges force the chair user to lean forward when sitting so that the knees are lower than the hips. This encourages a better posture. Lumbar rolls can also be placed in chairs to provide lumbar support where the chair's original design won't.

Workstation

The monitor should be at least 25cm from the eyes. Try tilting the top of the monitor back so that it's slightly further from the eyes than the bottom of the monitor. Hands will benefit from wrist rests for the keyboard and mouse. For those who spend a lot of time on the phone, a cradle can be used to take strain from the neck. As for the legs, pressure can be effectively moved from the feet and calves by using a footrest.

Lighting

Make sure this is indirect, and flexible to suit the needs of individuals. Use blinds and shades in the office to fully control outside light. Also use monitors that can be angled to suit the user, and anti-glare filters; these are relatively cheap.

The basic idea is that the ergonomic office should be fully adjustable, mobile and versatile as much as possible. Even the smallest modifications to workstation design and posture can make the world of difference to how you - and your employees - feel at the end of the working day.