the Arup book of office

health +
safety
 continued

The information contained in this book refers to the Arup Management System
(AMS) operating procedures.

Produced by Arup Group Health and Safety | August 2016

 global health and safety policy
Mission
To shape a better world

Objectives
To deliver this, the firm will:
• Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at
work of all our employees including temporary staff, and of other
persons affected by our actions.
• Provide such health and safety training, specialist advice,
information, instruction and supervision as may be necessary to
personnel at all levels.
• Implement programmes for the prevention of injury, ill health
and for the continual improvement in the management and
performance of our health and safety systems.
• Integrate health and safety considerations into our design and
business decisions commensurate with applicable laws and
professional standards.
• Operate within a management system that is registered as meeting
the requirements of OHSAS 18001 or equivalent.
d

Office Health and Safety 3

 global health and safety policy continued

Outcomes
In meeting these objectives, the firm will:
• Comply with applicable legal and other requirements.
• Maintain a high standard of health and safety awareness by
training and developing our staff.
• Develop and record health and safety competencies for key staff.
• Achieve a performance which will sustain the long-term success
of the business.

4 Office Health and Safety

working environment
As an employer we provide good office environments for our people
that have been designed taking into consideration the ergonomics of the
workstation and the need for comfortable working conditions.
All our offices are non-smoking and the use of E cigarettes is not permitted.
As an employee we ask you to report anything of concern from a
health, safety, security and environmental viewpoint to your Safety
Co-ordinator or Facilities Management Team.

Office Health and Safety 5

 fire safety
It is important that everyone is familiar with the position of the fire
exits and that they read the fire instructions for their building.
If you discover a fire:

• Do not tackle the fire, unless you have been trained to do so and it
does not compromise your safety.
• Activate the alarm by using the call point facility.
• Telephone the contact number printed on the fire instructions, give
your name, the location and any other details regarding the fire.
• Vacate the building using the nearest safe fire exit.

On hearing the fire alarm

(this may be spoken word or audible sound):

• Vacate the building via the nearest safe fire exit.

• Do not delay to collect personal belongings, or for any
other reason.
• Proceed quickly and calmly and do not run.
• Do not use any lifts.
• Follow instructions given by Fire Marshals.
• Proceed directly to the allocated fire assembly point.
• Do not linger outside the building entrances.
• Do not block the pavement for other pedestrians.
• Await instructions from the Fire Brigade Service or other
responsible person before returning to the building.

6 Office Health and Safety

first aid
There are First Aiders and first aid boxes in each office. Some
buildings are also equipped with first aid rooms. First aiders can
be contacted in cases of illness or accidents. Their names and
contact details can be found displayed on notice boards around
the office.

Office Health and Safety 7

 accident and incident reporting
Poor standards of housekeeping can contribute to workplace
accidents. Slips, trips and falls are the major cause of accidents
in our offices. Investigations in to the cause of such accidents
clearly show that greater care and attention would have resulted
in fewer injuries.
The following principles can contribute to reducing the risk of
accidents, incidents and near misses:
• Report all accidents, incidents and near misses as soon
as possible.
• Report housekeeping issues to individuals, safety
co-ordinators or the Facilities Management Team – don’t
assume someone else will!
• Complete the required form which is available on your
local AMS intranet site.
• Send copies to those identified on the form for local
investigation.
• Keep walkways and stairs clear and free from obstructions.
• Keep work areas as clear as possible of unnecessary
materials and waste.
• Comply with the office arrangements for the segregation and
removal of waste and recyclable materials.

8 Office Health and Safety

• Ensure fire exits and refuge areas are kept free from
obstructions and combustible materials.
• Keep cabinet drawers closed and remove keys.
• Avoid storing material at high levels.
• Keep floor areas clean and tidy.
• Minimise the number of trailing electrical leads and use cable
tidies/mats where this is unavoidable.
• Do not ‘daisy chain’ electrical equipment.
• Ensure filing, archived boxes, rentacrates and equipment
boxes are safely stacked.
• Clean spillages of wet and dry substances immediately. If a
liquid is greasy, make sure a suitable cleaning agent is used.
After cleaning, the floor can be wet for some time. So dry it
where possible and ensure people are aware the floor is still
wet, e.g. via signage.
• Take extra care on stairs, especially external stairs and during
inclement weather.
• Take care with hot drinks, particularly when using kettles.
• Be careful when heating liquids in the microwave as this
can result in delayed eruptive boiling or simply the liquid
splashing on the hand causing burns.
• Use microwaves with care and note that some are industrial
and more powerful than those used at home.
• DISTRACTION BY SMART PHONES OR SIMILAR EQUIPMENT
HAS BECOME A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR TO
ACCIDENTS IN THE OFFICE. DO NOT USE SMARTPHONES OR
SIMILAR WHEN YOU ARE MOBILE, PARTICULARLY ON STAIRS.

Office Health and Safety 9

 security
• When you join the firm you will be issued with a staff ID card,
keep it safe and carry it with you at all times.
• Ensure you sign in or swipe out at reception and follow local
procedures when working out of normal working hours.
• Ensure visitors, sign in and out and are collected/returned to
reception and escorted by a member of staff at all times.
• Do not leave documents where they can be seen by unauthorised
people and ensure filing cabinets are kept locked.
• All contractors carrying out work in your workspace should be
issued with appropriate passes and permits. If you see anyone
carrying out work they should not, don’t ignore them, inform an
appropriate person and never be afraid to challenge visitors or ask
if they need assistance.
• Keep personal belongings out of sight and preferably under
lock and key.
• Lock your laptop securely.
• When outside the office, be aware of theft of phones, tablets etc is
common, so be sensible and do not make yourself a target.
• Do not leave valuables unattended or on view at anytime.
• You can help prevent intruders from gaining access to our premises by:
− politely challenging people you don’t recognise if you
have concerns.
− reporting immediately the loss of any ID pass.
− not allowing anyone to ‘tailgate’ you through security doors
or barriers.

10 Office Health and Safety

 A

Office Health and Safety 11

 workstation assessments
It is important that when you first move to a new workstation
you carry out an on-line workstation assessment, details of
which can be obtained from your Safety Co-ordinator or
workstation assessor. This will need to be repeated when
moving workstation or if the workstation is modified. Those
who regularly use computer equipment are entitled to eyesight
tests. Details are available on the Health and Safety and HR
intranet sites.

Items to be considered when setting up a workstation:

• Place your monitor at arm’s length and at eye level.

• Centre your keyboard and monitor in front of you.
• Reduce glare by using window furnishings or adjusting
equipment.
• Arms should be at a 90° angle, elbows slightly above the desk
and avoid over-reaching for the keyboard and mouse.
• Type with your hands and wrists floating above the keyboard
and avoid stretching your fingers. The palm rest, if used, should
be used during breaks from typing.
• Avoid bending your wrists up, down, or to the sides.
• Rest your feet flat on the floor, using a foot rest if necessary.
• Ensure the seat does not press into the back of your knees.
• Ensure adequate lumbar support by adjusting the back rest.
• Take regular breaks away from the workstation.

12 Office Health and Safety

Office Health and Safety 13
 hot desking
In some offices, staff are required to hot desk and in some
groups this is standard practice. If you work at a desk that is
also used by others at different times, it is important to use all
the adjustment features available on the chair and monitor to
make yourself comfortable. The workstation will be different
each time you arrive at the desk, so you should spend some time
at the start of your day adjusting the chair and layout to suit you.

Top tips

• Understand the hot desking situation- can you use any desk
or do you need to prebook?
• Clean desk- ensure you are sitting at a clean and tidy desk
by wiping it down, especially when there are illnesses
going around.
• Change your desk setup - when you first sit down ensure that
the desk layout is correct for you, including the chair and
monitor height. Do you need any special equipment?
• Sign into the phone system using extension mobility.
• Get organised - as you will need to clear the desk each
evening, it is not possible to leave organised piles of paper
out, therefore it is important to introduce other methods of
dealing with on-going work such as task lists.
• Please note that workstations are set up with standard
equipment. If this equipment does not suit you, if you are
in discomfort or need any assistance, you must contact your
local workstation assessor and/or the Arup Group Health and
Safety team for assistance.

14 Office Health and Safety

young persons and
inexperienced employees
Arup employs some people whose safety should be subject to
particular consideration.
These include:
• Pre-university work experience students
• Apprentices
• Undergraduates
• Graduate trainees
Children and young persons are recognised as being particularly
vulnerable to accidents in the workplace and require specific
risk assessments to be carried out to ensure their health, safety
and welfare. Before inviting these groups to undertake work
experience, ensure all appropriate HR documents are sent out
as required, including the health and safety handbook and that a
risk assessment is conducted for all the work/visiting activities
they will be involved with.
Inductions should be given which include information about the
procedures, the requirements of office safety and emergency
evacuation. Further information can be found on the Health and
Safety intranet site or by contacting HR.
Consideration should be given to the possible requirements
of Police or other checks which may be required by local
legislation.

Office Health and Safety 15

16 Office Health and Safety
new and expectant mothers
Arup recognises the need to provide and maintain adequate
facilities for pregnant and nursing mothers. This is to ensure
a safe and comfortable working environment, giving
consideration to the condition of the member of staff.
Where Arup has been informed in writing that a staff member is
pregnant, has given birth within the last six months or is
breastfeeding, a specific risk assessment will be carried out
which will address potential issues.
For further information please contact your safety co-ordinator.
and/or Human Resources HRBP.

Office Health and Safety 17

18 Office Health and Safety
manual handling
Taking the actions described below will help reduce the risk of
injury from manual handling:

• Consider using handling aids such as trolleys.

• Reduce carrying distances.
• Avoid storing materials at height
• Make sure the load is secure.
• Check weight of the item before lifting it.
• Do not lift or handle more than you can easily manage.
• Bend at the knees keeping the back straight.
• Keep your head up and back straight when lifting.
• Keep the load close to your waist.
• Avoid twisting the back or leaning sideways.
• If a close approach to the load is not possible, try to slide it
towards the body before attempting to lift it.
• Push rather than pull loads.

Manual handling training courses are available through Moodle.

Office Health and Safety 19

 electrical
To avoid electrocution or fire hazards all electrical
equipment should be treated with care.

Where possible:

• Do not run leads where they may be physically damaged.

• Do not overload power sockets or daisychain equipment.
• Ensure suspect or faulty equipment is taken out of use,
labelled ‘DO NOT USE’ and kept secure until examined by a
qualified person. Do not attempt to repair it.
• Equipment and power-socket outlets should be switched off
when not in use.
• Only use manufacturer’s power leads and adapters.
• Avoid introducing personal electrical equipment such as
mobile phone chargers.
• Raise any concerns with your facilities team/office
administrators.
• Do not use electrical equipment that has not been supplied by
the firm or been PAT tested where applicable.

20 Office Health and Safety

Office Health and Safety 21
 contact us
Further information:

• Health and Safety Intranet.

• Safety Co-ordinators.
• Health and Safety Team.
• Local First Aiders and Fire Marshals.
• Local Workstation Assessors.
• The Arup book of Design.
• The Arup book of Site health + safety.
• The Arup book of Travel health + safety

22 Office Health and Safety

Complete your Health and Safety Team:

Office Leader.......................................................................................................

Safety Co-ordinator .............................................................................................

Safe by Design Advisor........................................................................................

Site Guidance Engineer (where applicable) ........................................................

First Aider ...........................................................................................................

Fire Marshal ........................................................................................................

Fire Assembly Point ............................................................................................

TN.08.16
13 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 4BQ
www.arup.com