The working-age population spends an approximate 40-plus hours a week in their workplace. With the majority time of the day spent in the office, ensuring safety is a necessity while designing an office space. Several studies also highlight that the well-being of the workers is directly linked to the conditions and setting of their workspace. A successful and safe office space design occurs when workspace comfort, right furniture selection and proper office layout are all taken into account.

Considering the safety of your employees reduces the risk of disasters while bolstering positive attitudes. Addressing trip hazards or following fire-safety measures all seem like common sense. However, unforeseen circumstances arise when providers of facility management services in India overlook the special considerations while designing a safer office space.

In this blog, we shall see how facility planners are going about in designing a safe workspace.

1. A healthier workspace infrastructure: A professional facility management service provider entrusted with the responsibility of establishing a healthy setup, plans a design that will help employees to tackle ‘Repetetitive Strain Injury’ from scratch. Workplace injuries due to repetitive actions result in stiffness in the neck, back or shoulders and also pain in the arms, hands or fingers. To put stress-related injuries at bay, facility planners are designing office spaces that use:

• Drawing tablet – For all those who use an image editing software for a prolonged time, instead of a normal mouse, using a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet is a relief. With this, you don’t have to make those repetitive movements as with a mouse, anymore. If there be the need for using a mouse, you can comfortably reach the mouse from the keyboard itself provide the mouse is positioned correctly.
• Right chair – Your employees are spending the entire day sitting and delivering. Facility managers are investing in chairs that facilitate correct posture and comes with features like: adjustable height, armrests, lumbar support underneath to prevent slouching and soft padded seat.
• Monitor riser: Improper positioning of the monitor leads to neck and shoulder strain. Professionals providing facility management services in India are incorporating monitor risers in their safe workspace design. With this, the computer screen is positioned at an optimum level to reduce the chances of stiff necks and strains.

2. Proper lighting: A dim and dark atmosphere is perfect for recreation but inside an office, can put a heavy strain on your eyes. Facility planners are including good quality and anti-reflective lights that don’t reflect on the computer screens. In addition, using natural coloured lights inside the office makes the ambience bright and prevents eye strain.

3. Following the safety rules: The existence of fire and building codes aren’t just for legal purpose. They are for a logical reason and are to be followed by local and state authorities. These building and fire codes set a clear path to be followed when designing a safe office space. Some of the guidelines to be followed include:

• To avoid electrical fires, electrical panels shouldn’t be obstructed by any kind of furniture.
• There should be at least 18 inches gap between the ceiling and racks, shelves or other pieces of furniture.
• Pathways should have a minimum of 3 feet width while the walkways can be 6 inches or wider.

4. Prevention of slips and falls: When planning a safe office design, companies offering facility management solutions, have to consider a type of flooring that’ll prevent slip and fall hazards, particularly hardwood flooring or carpeting the area. For this same purpose, the thresholds and transitions are made even, if the area rugs are curled up in the corners, they are immediately fixed.

Conclusion: Providing a safe working environment for your employees is not a choice but a priority for every business owner. And when you appoint a provider of expert facility management services in India for this task, you come up with a safe workspace where your employees are satisfied to work and don’t go back home complaining a large volume. To know more about our facility management solutions, get in touch with us on www.sibservices.in