The Office

The Little Things

March 10th 2020
By: Carrie Parashar

Yes! You’ve made it past the slimy dog noses, the sticky peanut butter kid hands and somehow managed to keep most of your coffee in your mug! You are ready for the office! But…you’ve got to make it through the rest of the day too. Here are some steps you can take at the office to help make sure you get back home to enjoy those puppy kisses and little hands.

To help make sure you do, here are some things you can do to stay safe while you’re at work:

1) Chemical safety – Read the Safety Data Sheet for all chemicals before you use them. It’s quite challenging to read them with chemicals already in your eyes.

2) Fire Safety – I am probably not the only person with a heater humming away under their desk this time of year. Make sure to turn heaters off when leaving your office.

3) Slips, Trips, Falls Safety – The last thing you need to add to your Monday morning is, well, anything. Start by keeping your carpets secured and your walking areas clear of cords and clutter.

4) Electrical Safety – We all know not to overload outlets, but sometimes we forget to inspect them. Inspect outlets, power strips and all cords for broken or frayed wires, bent prongs or anything that looks like a burn mark. Inspect wall outlets for broken components or burn marks as well.

5) Ergonomic Safety – Is your chair properly adjusted? Is your desk the right height for you? How far do you reach for your phone when it rings? Are you using a headset to avoid a cramped neck? Ergonomics is all about you. Work smarter, not harder.

How many of these hazards do you already look for at your office? How about in your home?

About Carrie Parashar

Carrie Parashar joins ASA with 12 years of experience supporting Alaska’s oil and gas industry, both on and off the North Slope. Since 2009, she has specialized in construction and operations health, safety and environmental training development and delivery, as well as compliance-database administration and project-turnover coordination. Carrie holds a Construction Health and Safety Technologist (CHST) certification and other training certifications. Prior North Slope experience includes field safety on Point Thomson, Skid 50, various pipeline-renewal projects and construction-turnover coordination.

Read more by Carrie Parashar

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