Office Risk Assessment Checklist
Office hazards aren’t as dangerous as those found on construction sites but there are still risks that can injure workers. Conducting an office risk assessment is a legal requirement for employers and it’s important everything is covered. To help you out we’ve put together a checklist of common hazards in an office.
Falling on slippery kitchen floors, getting shocked from faulty electrical wires, and experiencing health hazards from poor bathroom hygiene all present office risks. This list is intended as the first stage of a risk assessment for office work to identify any significant hazards and prompt further action or evaluation.
The office hazards have been listed as generic groups to make them easy to identify and ensure nothing gets missed. Tick off everything from this office risk assessment checklist and use the template to improve health and safety in your workplace.
Office health and safety checklist
Health and safety in offices is vital to protect employees, visitors, and anyone else that uses the space. Identifying everyday hazards is the first step to putting in place effective control measures that minimise and eliminate risks of injury, illness, and harm. This checklist makes spotting such office hazards easy.
Create a general office risk assessment whatever industry you work in, however big or small your office space, and wherever your location. You can use our risk assessment software to make unlimited office health and safety risk assessments – enjoy a free 15-day trial today. Alternatively, copy and paste the below checklist.
Answer all the questions from the office health and safety checklist below to tackle the hazards in your office effectively. Protect your workers and uphold your responsibilities as an employer with this office risk assessment checklist template designed by health and safety professionals at Protecting.
Slips, trips, and falls in offices
Are there any obstructions on the floor that could cause a slip, trip, or fall from:
- Office supplies – such as books, stationery, and toner cartridges?
- Electrical equipment – like printers, kettles, and fan heaters?
- Trailing leads supplying computers, printers, and fax machines?
- Loose carpets or mats?
- Open access panels in the floor?
- Unguarded stairwells?
- Uneven floors?
- Cleaners’ equipment – including vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, mop and buckets?
- Access routes blocked by debris and waste bins?
Falling object office hazards
Are there any objects that could fall on people such as:
- Goods or items stored on shelves and racking?
- Unstable freestanding stacks of goods or materials?
- Loose ceiling tiles?
- Loose electrical or mechanical equipment – like lighting, pipework, and ventilation equipment?
Electrical office hazards
Is there any risk of persons receiving an electrical shock from:
- Loose or broken sockets, switches, light fittings, conduits, and trunking?
- Worn, frayed or split cables?
- Trailing leads?
- Overloaded extension leads or multi-socket adaptors?
- Exposed cables into plugs, computer equipment, kettles, fan heaters, microwaves, food and drinks dispensers?
- Exposed live parts of electrical switchgear – controls, motors, and pumps?
Is any item of portable electrical equipment overdue for a portable appliance test (PAT)?
Is any item of electrical equipment poorly or dangerously positioned?
Substance-related hazards in offices
Are there any substances used that could cause harm from contact or inhalation, such as:
- Cleaning chemicals?
- Solvents in inks, dyes, and adhesives?
- Dusts from powdered goods or supplies?
- Smoke or exhaust fumes?
- Asbestos in fire retardant panelling, ceiling tiles, or pipe lagging?
Has any staff member complained of any persistent or increasing allergic reactions – running nose or eyes, coughing, sneezing, and itching skin?
Office fire hazards
Are flammable materials stored or used in a manner that could cause a fire, such as:
- Any flammable substances on or near sources of heat or direct sunlight?
- Any flammable substances that aren’t correctly stored in flameproof cupboards (solvents and adhesives)?
- Any potential for a flammable substance to be spilled onto sources of heat or electrical equipment?
- Waste paper left in bins overnight?
- Covered convector heaters?
Tips to create a fire hazard checklist
Ventilation hazards
Are there any hazards associated with office ventilation, such as:
- Insufficient ventilation?
- Fumes getting into the area through open windows or vents?
- Contamination of air conditioning filters by dust or bacteria?
Display screen equipment
Does display screen equipment require assessment for:
- Poorly positioned monitors?
- Lighting creating glare on screens?
- Poor seating position?
Manual handling and workstation hazards
Do working positions pose a hazard that could cause muscular strains, such as:
- Poor lifting positions?
- Bad posture over desks or benches?
- Repetitive twisting or turning?
Does any office furniture show signs of damage or imminent collapse (desks, chairs, benches, and shelving)?
Hygiene hazards
Do sanitary provisions require improvement to reduce the risk of infection or contamination, such as:
- Hot water temperature requires raising to remove legionella risk (60°C)
- Toilet and hand basin cleaning requires improving
- Improved hand washing and drying facilities
- The use of rubber gloves for personal protection
Accidents and first aid
- Does accident treatment require improving?
- Is there a requirement for a (or additional) trained first aider?
- Do those trained as first aiders require refresher training (required every three years)?
- Do accident records need reviewing?
- Is there anything in the first aid boxes past its use by date?
- Are extra first aid boxes required?
- Are there any specific requirements for accident treatment?
Put together a first aid checklist
Control measures for removing or reducing office hazards
Follow these steps to reduce and eliminate office hazards:
- Elimination – by removing the hazard completely
- Substitution – with a less hazardous substance, process, or method of work
- Modification – of the work process
- Providing formal written procedures – in the form of a safe system of work or a method statement
- Supplying adequate training – alongside information to all those exposed to the hazard
- General tidiness – good housekeeping reduces tripping hazards in an office
- Supplying PPE – protective equipment or clothing should be provided where required
Any identified hazards in an office should be evaluated using a risk assessment form and a RAMS where appropriate. Create unlimited risk assessments with a free trial of our risk assessment software.
Many of the identified hazards may prompt a dedicated risk assessment in compliance with the requirements of the associated legislation. For example, substance-related hazards may require a detailed assessment under the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002, No. 2677). Protecting supports all types of risk assessments.