 Personal electronic devices
Personal electronic devices reduce awareness of surroundings (warning sounds, traffic)
Headphones used to block background noise, music playing devices may damage hearing. To help minimize the risk of injury you could develop a policy about where and when it is appropriate to use personal electronic devices,
Including awareness of the dangers of personal electronic devices in induction
Using stereo headphones that cover the entire ear or in-ear headphones to block background noise instead of earbuds or earphones that are not capable of delivering the same dynamic range and consequently often used at a higher volume.


 Operator
Tasks that may cause body fatigue and stressing.
Lack of task variety, prolonged time spent in one position
Tasks that may cause eyes to become irritated, strained or blurred
Conduct a workstation assessment before operator begins work (i.e. desk height, chair adjustment, keyboard / mouse / screen position)
Have appropriate signage / computer applications to remind employees to take breaks and guidance on appropriate stretching exercises
To reduce risks of body fatigue and or stressing from repetitive tasks, implement task variety to reduce the risk.
Provide appropriate training to employees to encourage appropriate posture, regular breaks, stretching exercises and eye health management (blinking regularly to lubricate the eye and focusing on objects away from a screen)


 Chair
Chair is not the appropriate size
Poor back support
Front edge of seat insufficiently rounded and / or padded
User misjudges height of stool or slips or overbalances whilst getting on or off
Have an ergonomic assessment undertaken
Try chairs of different styles and dimensions until user feels secure, has adequate support and feels comfortable
When purchasing new chairs specify seat pans to have a well padded rounded 'waterfall edge'
Alert all users of high chairs or stools of the need for particular care when getting on or off these

 Storage Systems and access to stored contents

Filing cabinet tipping over
Cabinet unstable if heavily loaded top drawer is pulled open to its full extent
Cabinet drawers slide open when cabinet is not level and is left unlocked
Where appropriate place heavier contents in lowest drawers and distribute files to keep centre of gravity as low as possible to minimise risk of cabinet tipping
Check that all cabinets are standing level and use rubber wedges to stabilise any unsteady cabinet. Test to ensure drawers do not open when cabinet is unlocked
Ensure one draw is opened at a time. Locate cabinet against a wall and check that file cabinet stands level.Restrain filing cabinet to the wall
Access to stored contents
Lifting files above head height
Lifting files below the knees
Provide a step, stepladder or ladder to allow employees to work safely at any shelf level
Plan storage to locate heaviest or most frequently used documents at easily accessible heights to minimise the demands of manual handling.
Ensure employees are trained appropriately in correct lifting techniques.
Review contents periodically and archive any old or little used files

 Obstructing walk ways
Cabinets with slide out draws / sideway hinged doors which open to obstruct a passageway
Where possible locate cabinets out of trafficable areas
If cabinets border on passageways, select cabinets which have slide-away or roller doors, which do not protrude when open
 Lighting
Incompatibility between office lighting and daylight entering the work area
Lighting being used is unsuitable for night-time work
If interior is illuminated by daylight, ensure that lighting is compatible with the natural light
Where there is significant night-time work, include lighting with lower colour temperature (warm colours)
Dazzle
Unshielded light sources (including the sun) are within employees' field of vision
Move or shield light source(s) from field of vision
 Electrical

Electrical appliance or tool has developed a fault, or has defective insulation or exposed wiring
As required have electrical appliances inspected and tested on a regular basis and record this information
Where equipment is identified for repair, it should be immediately removed from service and appropriately labelled to prevent further use
Consider installing a safety switch on power supply
Overloading
Overloading power circuit by plugging too many appliances into the same socket
If additional appliances are needed permanently, have a larger power socket installed by a competent person
Discourage the use of adaptors and connection of unauthorised appliances which may overload the circuit dangerously.



MY WORKPLACE

My workplace is positioned in a little cosy room, with a lot of joyful paintings on the wall. From my desk to my drawing table you could find anything that will help suit your need. Basically everything in my room is colour coordinated and everything is sorted out into different sections so you don’t have to waste your time searching for things. In order to use my computer and laptop in the same place I have chosen a big desk which helps me fit both and well position them. There isn’t much sunlight in the room so I tend to use my lamp to brighten the room; this is something I should consider to work on. I don’t have much storage that I could use considering it is a small room; this is one of the reasons why the PowerPoint for both my computers is not positioned properly. This is something that would lead to hazards in the workplace, which needs attention. Before any damage happens I will find a solution to this. If I were to rate my workplace I will give it 7 out of 10 because everything is well positioned and has everything that you need in a workplace.