Staying Safe at Work *

As you all know, I spend a lot of my time working full time in London and as of next week I will be moving into my 5th office job. I would love to not have to do the daily commute into London every day, but I’m not quite willing to give up my 9 to 5 salary just yet! Having spent so much time in offices, nearly 10 years worth if you count internships throughout my degree, I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about office safety.

When I start a new job or even just move desks, I always like to make sure the area in which I’m working in is up to standards as I don’t want to be putting myself or anyone else at risk. I thought I’d share with you three of the main things I look out for so that you can ensure you’re happy with your work station. These can even be applied when working at home too; my home desk is super safe!

The main thing I look out for is extension cables and how many plugs are in them. It’s such a huge fire risk having them filled with plugs as computers and things like air-con units and kettles take up huge amounts of power can cause a power surge leading to a fire or even cause a outage where the plug stops working. If you’re plug stops working and you’ve not saved recently there’s a huge chance you could use your days work! Make sure you’re happy with the plugs under your desk.

When spending hours sitting in the same spot you need to ensure you’re eyes aren’t being strained by glares, so maybe invest in a screen protector. Also the lighting in your desk area contributes a lot to this so make sure you have adequate lighting so you’re not squinting all the time. I’d also suggest you get your eyes checked when they’re due as opticians will know if you’ve been straining or if you need glasses. A lot of workers can complain about dry eyes so ensure your eyes are kept moist to avoid any problems. If my eyes ever feel tingly I go for a little walk away from any screens.

The last thing I like to keep check of is food and drink around my work space. I am totally a Little Miss Clumsy so I do my best to keep my water in a sports bottle so it won’t spill if I knock it over and on the rare occasion that I have a nice cup of decaf tea I always make sure I keep it away from my keyboard and when I’m done with the cup I take it out of the kitchen to avoid it getting knocked off the desk and smashing. I’m also the same when I eat at my desk – I really hate crumbs in my keyboard and they can encourage mice if you’re prone to them in your office space.

How do you keep your office space safe?