Nibletz Staff
If you’re letting workplace hazards linger on in your building, then you’re running a huge amount of risk. You’re allowing your employees to work in a very unsafe environment – and if the problems can be seen and felt, then they’re going to feel very unhappy!
When there are building hazards at home, the need to deal with them is usually felt really quickly. But this isn’t always the case when it comes to modern workplaces such as offices. It doesn’t seem to be as urgent. But this is the wrong way to look at it. After all, an unsafe work environment could see you getting sued by employees without them being injured or made ill.
The problem, of course, is that there are obvious hazards and subtle hazards. If something gets spilled, for example, then that’s a clear hazard that can be dealt with pretty quickly. But modern workplaces often have a host of issues that don’t seem so severe or self-evident – not until something goes wrong.
Here are some of the common problem areas you should be paying attention to as an employer. If you’re an employee, there’s some advice for you towards the lower half of the article.
Moisture
Sorry – I know a lot of people hate that word, but it needs to be mentioned. Think about it: excess moisture is a common problem at home. So much of what you and your family do at home sends moisture into the air. Cleaning, cooking, washing, breathing… now imagine what’s happening to your air when you have dozens of employees in the same area. That moisture that gets created doesn’t just evaporate – it lingers within your building.
Let’s say it’s a cold day. The windows of your office are starting to fog up. You may think that’s just science doing its weird thing, but that condensation shouldn’t really be taking place. It’s a sign that there’s something wrong with your heating and ventilation. Don’t let moisture build up – it can create problems with damp and even mold.
Ventilation
Speaking of ventilation, it’s a must that your ventilation system is running at full capacity. Of course, this is more important for some workplaces than others. Let’s say you’re running a factory. Your average industrial process sends loads of toxins and other dangerous particles into the air. If your ventilation system doesn’t deal with it properly, then you’re putting your employees at risk.
This isn’t to say that you should only pay attention to your ventilation if you’re running a factory. After all, there are loads of toxins in the air of your average office, too. Cleaning products, dust, dirt, PC cleaner – this sort of stuff doesn’t exactly create a healthy environment. Remember that your employees need to stay in that office for hours every day and breathe in that air! Make sure your ventilation system is in top condition.
Electricity
When people imagine a modern business, they usually think of a place that consumes a lot of electricity. A factory, of course, needs to power all of its machines. Your average office probably has dozens of computers on at the same time. This should highlight the importance of making sure the electrical framework of your work building is fit for the task.
If you’ve ever had power outages or problems with inefficient voltage, then this can be the result of dodgy wiring in your building. But there’s also a chance that the electricity routing in your building simply hasn’t been done correctly. Overloaded plugs and loose wiring also create problems. This isn’t just an issues because of the increased risk of power outages. Where there are electrical hazards, there are also fire hazards. The most common cause of workplace fires is electrical faults, so consider getting your building checked out.
Roofing
When people think about workplace hazards and roofing, they tend to think of quite dramatic scenarios. They imagine a weak roof, attacked by wind and rain for so long, finally collapsing and injuring a bunch of the indoor employees. But the dangers of a broken roof are usually not as bombastic as that.
In many ways, problems with the roofing have a lot to do with electrical faults and fire hazards. After all, a broken roof usually means a leaky roof, and the introduction of water to the innards of your building is usually pretty dangerous due to all the electricity coursing through it. (This can also create the aforementioned problems with excess moisture and mold.) But your electrical framework doesn’t have to be faulty for a broken roof to risk electrical faults and fires. So the importance of getting your roof seen to by commercial roofing contractors if there’s a problem should be clear!
Temperature
Most people forget to consider the dangers of certain temperatures when it comes to the workplace. Of course, most people work in environments where this isn’t a particular concern. But even in an office, temperature problems are often underestimated. And this isn’t just because a temperature that’s too low or too high can affect productivity. These temperatures can also lead to illness and increased stress.
Workplaces that lean more towards the industrial are more obvious causes for concern here, especially with many machines and even rooms that are made to emit extremes of one temperature or the other. It’s worth doing more research into the safe and acceptable temperatures of a workplace. In general, if your employees are uncomfortable with the temperature – whether they’re working in a factory or an office – then you need to make some improvements to the building.
What can employees do?
Of course, a lot of what’s been mentioned here are things that only an employer or building manager can deal with. When an employee notices these sorts of problems, things become a bit more complex because they’re rarely in control. Remember: the bulk of these issues are violations of labor safety laws across the globe. If you report the issue to your employer or the business owner, then they’re legally obliged to do something about it as soon as possible. Ensure that you notify them via email, so that there’s a “paper trail” proving that you informed them.
If they’re not doing anything about it, then it’s time to take further measures. You can file a complaint to whatever authority oversees workplace safety in your country. In America, for example, that would be the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Such complaints can generally be made in confidence.
Collecting evidence of the problem is a must if you want to escalate a complaint in such a way. If the problem is visible, then you should try to get photographs of it. You’ll also need to use the communications between you and your employer to prove that this is a problem about which your employer is aware, signifying that they’re doing nothing about it and, thus, putting their employees in danger.
A lot of employees are hesitant to take things this far simply because they’re afraid of antagonizing their bosses. But the health of you and your fellow employees is at risk. (Heck, the safety of your boss is at risk, too!) You are legally protected from any potential professional retaliation from a boss that doesn’t appreciate your telling OSHA or any other authority about the workplace safety violations, so don’t be afraid to take further action.
To the employers at whom most of this article was aimed: these last few paragraphs should help highlight just how vital it is that workplace hazards are resolved as soon as possible! Don’t be tempted to ignore them simply because of the cost in both time and money.
