Promoting Office Safety & Well-Being

Robert Pater, SSA/MoveSMART Director

John H., a data processing supervisor, "bent over backwards" for his work. He was so busy worrying about problems with the system changeover that he didn't notice his chair tipping until it was too late. The chair rolled off the nonstatic mat and he fell over backwards, spraining his neck. John missed three weeks of work. A year (and many physician's appointments) later, he is still bothered by pain.

Susan T. got "carried away" on the job. She was transporting a box of printouts to her office two floors down. Because she was carrying the box too high in front of her, she couldn't see the floor ahead. Consequently, she caught a heel on the elevator threshold and fell forward. She sprained a wrist, wrenched her back (and was thoroughly embarrassed to boot).

Then there's Art P. An experienced, stable employee. But, one day, going down stairs, his bifocals made him "fall for it." His vision became disoriented and he miss-stepped on the first stair. Fell almost halfway down the staircase. Art was lucky. He suffered a mild concussion and wound up badly bruised; it could have been worse.

Office work may not have the hazards other jobs do. But in this seemingly tame environment, staff time and productivity can be whittled by accidents and fatigue. A simple office safety and health program can prevent accidents, boost morale and help productivity in the paper jungle.

According to the National Safety Council, slips and falls are the prime cause of disabling accidents among professional, technical and clerical personnel, the second leading injury source among managers and administrators.

Bending, carrying, and lifting also take their toll. These "overexertion" injuries are the main cause of accidents among managers and administrators, felling other office staff next.

Need an Office Safety and Well-being Program?

The costs can be enormous. While there are no nation-wide statistics on specific accident costs, New York State employers, for instance, spent over $128 million dollars in compensation for falls (1983 closed cases), an average of $5118 for those from the same level.

Then there are absenteeism costs. Personnel professionals estimate 1 day's absence costs an organizational double that employee's salary (in lost productivity, replacement, salary and benefits). At this estimate, falls are especially insidious. Oregon reports an average workers comp claim from a same-level fall results in an incredible 82 lost work days.

Have you seen projections of the extent and costs of work stress? In "Occupational Stress", Kahn reports 83% of workers surveyed experience a great deal of stress as a result of their job. Two researchers, McMurray and Conley, estimate work stress costs the nation $6-20 billion each year, about 1-3% of the GNP. At these prices, it doesn't take many injuries to take a sizable chunk out of an operating budget. Insurance rates are ballooning; many workers comp insurance programs are beginning to link premiums to claims' record. And self-insured organizations pay all of this out of their back pocket.

On top of these costs, the price of personal suffering is incalculable.

If They Had Only Known

What causes office accidents? Let's look again at John's, Susan's and Art's accidents. They could have been avoided.

In John's case, worry prevented his noticing potential danger. There are two things that might have prevented the accident - remembering to watch for border areas and reducing tunnel vision.

John could have been trained in various stress management techniques for controlling tunnel-vision. While office staff may not accept their work has accident potential, they will generally acknowledge the presence of stress. Numerous safety studies show accidents rise along with poorly-managed stress. An effective office safety program can tie together fatigue reduction, stress control and accident prevention.

Stress affects people differently; however, one common symptom of too much stress is tunnel vision. There are numerous examples of this - the manager frantically searching for a folder that's sitting plainly on her desk, another not able to find keys he is holding in his hand; or the project administrator who works out of priority, forgetting about vital projects in favor of relatively unimportant tasks.

Tunnel vision can lead to common office injuries. Being preoccupied with other concerns may overshadow the good judgement that an object is too heavy or bulky to move without help. And distracted people can literally run into walls and desks, or trip over small objects.

Secondly, knowing about "border areas" might have saved John pain. Borders in offices--any changes in surface or elevation--include smooth outlet protectors in the middle of carpeted floor, or the line between nonstatic mats to carpet, tile to wood. Any change in friction creates a potential slip hazard, as a foot--or chair--either skids out or gets "grabbed."

So John might have watched, in the back of his mind, where the carpet protector ended. Also, since he likes to lean back, John might decide to remove his plastic mat.

Susan's stumble was also preventable. She might have used an effective carrying technique--carrying to her side/hip--that didn't block her vision or raise her center of gravity. She could have been taught that high heels and carrying don't safely mix. And there was always the possibility of asking someone else to transport the box or of using a dolly.

Any effective lifting and carrying program should emphasize two elements:

Developing the judgement to know when an object is too heavy or bulky to lift unaided, and
Applying body mechanics and proper positioning to prevent strains or losing balance.

Have you ever noticed elevators do not stop exactly even with the floor? This can be a real heel-catcher. Susan's employer might consider making the difference in levels more visible by painting elevator thresholds and floor edges contrasting colors.

Art's stairway technique could have been improved. Staircase falls usually occur on the first or last few steps, rarely in the middle. Step changes are another kind of border area. Knowing this, Art might have been more watchful when he approached the risers.

Art's bifocals presented a problem. Ask anyone who wears them, bifocals cause disorientation on stairs. In a sense, bifocal wearers' vision becomes disabled on descending, leaving them momentarily blinded. They can learn, as the vision-disabled do, to rely on another sense, in this case, touch. Before starting on stairs, bifocaled people should seek the railing to find their position. Should an unavoidable slip occur, walking close to the railing allows more options for preventing a bad fall than walking down the middle of the stairway.

Use the railing for guidance and support, grasping it particularly squeezing the thumb and last two fingers (a rock climbing and martial arts technique). This grasping method physiologically increases holding strength. Contact lens wearers and those with foggy or dirty glasses can also utilize this "smart hands" technique.

Also, Art's company can make sure that stair railings extend beyond the stairs. All too often, railings end just before landings, where they are needed most. Last, Art might consider taking the elevator, rather than the stairs.

Education, Policies, and Modifications Can Cut the Costs

Office safety can be improved with minimal time investment. Strong stress and safety educational programs teach techniques that result equally in a personal feeling of well-being, heightened attention control and increased safety. It can benefit staff on and off their jobs. Done well, an Office Safety and Well-being program can also raise staff morale and productivity. Ultimately, one accident saved can pay for an entire program.

Motivate staff "Not to fall for it", to be alert, more in control of themselves, to channel work stress into challenge and high performance.

Emphasize Safe Productivity in New Employee Orientations

Programs that improve physical condition, that decrease stiffness, obesity, or poor balance can help. Organizations can sponsor lunch-time or after work exercise programs that accommodate a range of employees' fitness levels, from athletic has-beens to never-beens.

Staff can be educated to make the right decisions in advance. This is like, when driving in slick conditions, planning to steer with the direction of any skid. One office manager at a large Northwest utility slipped while bringing donuts to her staff. As she fell, her first priority was to "save the donuts." As a result, she landed on her elbow, shattering it. She might have prevented this by deciding in advance to protect herself, not the donuts. Staff can also learn to handle nonproductive stress. Be sure that any program offered emphasizes methods for harnessing work stress positively. Besides helping with John's tunnel vision, stress programs can encourage increased productivity, fulfillment, health and safety.

Carefully screen any presentors. Unfortunately, many health care or mental health professionals providing these kind of sessions either don't have experience in the workplace or have a individual-vs.-the-organization orientation.

Specific programs can also help staff control computer and telephone stress.

Also remember that staff should be taught how to use office equipment, to sit so that chairs firmly support their lower back. Without this understanding, people can manage to undo the main benefit of an "ergonomically-designed" chair by slumping in it. If you cannot present these programs yourself, your organization's health and safety coordinator can help you find training resources you need.

Some policies can be helpfully employed. Companies can encourage staff to keep flat shoes by their desks, to be quickly slipped on when carrying or stair-climbing.

Office managers can remind employees to stow away trip-inviters--below-knee-level objects such as wastepaper baskets, boxes, briefcases, purses, umbrellas--and keep smaller objects, such as pens and paper, off the floor.

Should an employee have recurrent accidents, urge him or her to be examined by a physician. There may be an underlying health problem (from uncorrected vision to inner ear infection to drug or alcohol dependence).

Simple modifications can also prevent problems--getting carpet protector edges beveled so they don't catch an errant high heel, making sure stairs are well-lit, requesting stair railings be extended beyond the first and last steps.

In these competitive times, losses have to be controlled. Managers can offer a safety and stress management program that encourages safe productivity and high morale.

[Back to top]