What are workplace hazards?

Workplace hazards are anything that could cause injury, disease or mental health issues in the workplace. Managers should conduct regular risk analyses of the office to ensure it stays safe and your employees avoid workplace injury.

To perform a risk analysis, you need to evaluate the physical space of the office and the general mood of the staff. Once you’ve done this, you can make a list of possible hazards and then work towards fixing them. We will go through possible workplace hazards you might identify later in the article.

Why keeping track of workplace hazards is important

When you create a safe working environment for your staff, the entire organization benefits. Making sure you are avoiding workplace hazards can be beneficial in the following ways.

• There is a reduced risk of a workplace injury or accident due to an unsafe environment.
• Improved efficiency and productivity can be seen due to less absenteeism from illness or workplace injury.
• Due to the safe environment, workers know you care for their well-being and there are improved employee relations and better morale.
• With less workplace injury or illness, there is a reduced cost from workers needing to miss work.
• Having issues with workplace hazards can cause the company to have a bad reputation which can affect how potential customers or employees see your organization.

Making sure that the office is a safe environment by getting rid of possible workplace hazards is an easy way to boost morale and increase productivity which is something the entire organization will benefit from.

5 workplace hazards

There are many things that can create an unsafe working environment. Making sure your organization is safe is important if you want your employees to stay away from a workplace injuries, accidents, illness or mental illness.

Here is a list of five different workplace hazards to be aware of when looking to improve safety around the office.

1. Physical hazards

These are workplace hazards from the working environment. Anything that may cause an accident or injury such as tripping from loose wiring or uneven flooring. These types of hazards can easily cause workplace injury which means employees will need time off to recover.

Physical workplace hazards can also be from the working environment. For example, if the office is often too hot or too cold this can cause such things as mental fatigue or difficulty concentrating. This type of environmental workplace hazard can cause low productivity due to employees feeling irritated.

2. Biological hazards

Biological workplace hazards refer to anything that can causes diseases. This can include mold or fungi on the premises which can be detrimental to a person’s respiratory health. Another workplace hazard that can cause health issues is poor air circulation which makes it easier for things such as colds and flu to be passed on.

When employees are exposed to these types of workplace hazards they might need to take time off which can be detrimental to productivity levels.

3. Chemical hazards

Chemical workplace hazards can be from either chemicals you work with or cleaning products. For organizations that work with chemicals, taking safety precautions is very serious as the workplace injuries that can be seen are also very serious.

Some examples of possible workplace injuries caused by chemicals are burns to the skin or eyes, poisoning due to ingestion or an injury caused by inhaling the chemical. All of these workplace injuries are very serious or even life-threatening and should be considered if your company works with any hazardous chemicals.

Other less serious chemical hazards can include chemicals used for cleaning that can cause respiratory irritation, headaches/migraines or an allergic reaction. These issues can all be detrimental to people’s health and can cause increased absenteeism.

4. Ergonomic hazards

Ergonomic workplace hazards are from poorly designed workspaces. If a worker is sitting at a desk all day they can easily get muscle and joint pain from poor posture and repetitive movements. A lot of workplace injuries are from ergonomic issues like having a cramped workspace, sitting in an uncomfortable chair or having bad lighting.

These workplace injuries might seem minor, but if employees are constantly in need of chiropractic care, for example, your health insurance premiums could go up, affecting the organization’s overall budget.

5. Psychological hazards

Psychological workplace hazards can be from a toxic work environment, workplace bullies or being overworked. When these types of hazards show up, they can cause mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.

Depression or anxiety can make it very difficult for people to work and efficiency goes out the window. It is also important to remember that depression is actually a life-threatening condition, so by having psychological hazards in the workplace, you could be causing a major health crisis.

When dealing with issues as serious as bullies or being overworked it is important to deal with them right away. If you see that one of your workers seems to be having difficulty at work, have a one-on-one meeting with them to discuss the issue. That way the employee feels supported and you are one step closer to fixing the problem.

Related: Conflict Management Styles: A Guide for Managers

The above workplace hazards are important to remember when you are trying to create a hazard-free environment. Keeping them in mind will also allow you to think about all the ways in which the atmosphere in the office is important when it comes to employee morale.

How to avoid and fix workplace hazards

Now that we have a good understanding of different workplace hazards and the types of disruptions they can cause, we need to look at how we can avoid hazards. The following are some suggestions for making your workplace hazard free.

• Regular risk analysis. Making sure that both the physical environment and mental space of your office are free of workplace hazards is the best way to avert health issues in your staff. Making it part of your regular routine can also make sure that any problems that pop up are fixed right away.
• Open communication. Having open communication with employees can help you dodge any psychological workplace hazards. Making sure that your employees feel comfortable coming to you with issues they might have and you will see that even potential problems can be resolved before they become an issue.
• Proper training. Make sure that all staff are trained on any safety procedures they might need to know. This means that everyone knows possible physical workplace hazards within the office and how to use equipment safely. Make sure that new staff has been properly trained and answer any questions they might have.
• Individualized workstations. Introduce adjustable desks and chairs that can work for each person in the workplace. This will allow employees to decide how to do their work according to what is most comfortable for their bodies, and they are able to make adjustments when needed.
• Calm lighting. Having desk lamps for each worker can allow them to adjust the amount of light they use. It can also make it easier to lessen the amount of overhead lighting within the office. This type of solution can decrease any eye irritation your employees might get as well as allow for a calm work environment.
• Air purifiers. Adding air purifiers to the office will make the air being breathed cleaner, which can be especially important for offices that cannot open windows. By paying attention to air circulation, you can help avoid biological hazards like the spreading of cold or flu.
• Fans and space heaters. If you are not able to control the heat/air conditioning in your building, try providing fans or space heaters. This can allow workers to be more comfortable in the physical environment and reduce mental fatigue.
• Wire organizers or go wireless where you can. Making sure that wires are organized can help keep the office less cluttered and will eliminate possible tripping hazards. Also, wherever possible try getting wireless technology so that you reduce the number of wires you need to organize. This simple fix is a great way to avoid workplace injury.

Related: How to Create Effective Communication at the Workplace

Keeping employees away from injury or illness doesn’t have to be difficult and following a few of the above examples could be exactly what you need to avoid workplace hazards.