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RMU Home » Programs » Employee Safety » Safety Topics A to Z » Office Safety

• Safety Topics
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Office Safety

In the County of Alameda, the most common causes of workplace injuries in the office environment are:

• Repetitive Motion Injuries
• Push/Pull/Lift Injuries
• Slip/Trip/Fall Accidents
• Stair Accidents

Repetitive motion injury occurs when an employee performs a set of tasks over and over throughout the day. While the tasks themselves do not require a lot of effort, the employee uses the same set of muscles and maintains the same posture while performing the tasks. This combination causes stresses to the muscle, ligaments, and tendon in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck and back. To prevent injuries, employees should setup the workstation properly, use proper ergonomics to perform the tasks, and take micro-breaks to stretch other muscles or to perform other task thus relieving the stresses on the affected body parts.

Push, pull, lifting injuries occur when an employee tries to move an object improperly or move an object that is too heavy. To prevent these injuries, the employee should develop a plan on what needs to be done, use proper ergonomic techniques, know his/her limitation and get help if needed.

Slip, trip, and fall accidents occur when an employee walks through an area where there is an object or substance on the floor that the employees did not see thus causing the employee to fall. The objects or substances may be liquids or oil, boxes, electrical cords, open desk/file drawers, paper, and office material. To prevent these accidents, all employees should practice good housekeeping and watch where they are walking.

Stair accidents are a type of slip, trip, and fall accident. Although there aren�t many of them, they do lead to multiple injuries to the body. Employees should always use the handrails and watch where they are walking. If they must carry large files or objects, they should use the elevator.

Resources:

• Workstation ergonomic evaluations are available through the Risk Management Unit. Please submit a request through your safety liaison.
• Ergonomic classes are available through HRS Conference Center. Please check the schedule for the next available class. Classes are also available at your Agency/Department by request. Please contact Laura Kitsch, Risk Analyst / Safety Manager at 510-272-6698 or tie-line 2-6698.
• Office safety inspections can be arranged through request. Please contact Laura Kitsch, Risk Analyst / Safety Manager at 510-272-6698 or tie-line 2-6698.