Healthy Work Environment
Ventilation
Good ventilation in an office is essential to provide fresh air. The quality of the air in an office building is often controlled by an air conditioning system. The function of such a system is to draw in fresh air from outside the building and to filter, heat, cool or humidify it and circulate it around. The system also returns a portion of the air to the outside as fresh air is drawn inside.
The use of synthetic materials in the construction and furnishing of buildings, emissions from equipment such as photocopiers and from substances used in an office such as spray adhesives can contribute to workplace hazards associated with ventilation.
Cigarette smoke can also contribute to the poor quality of indoor air. The Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 bans employers, employees and self employed persons from smoking in enclosed workplaces. An office is an enclosed workplace.
 | | You should follow safe work procedures for using substances and equipment in the office to help keep the air fresh in an office building. |
Noise
Many offices are "open plan" with large numbers of people talking, telephones ringing and printers and photocopiers operating. The levels of noise in an office is not likely to be high enough to cause any damage to your hearing but it may be an issue if you can not hear people talking to you, if it annoys or distracts you or interferes with your work tasks.
Noise that prevents you understanding an instruction or warning signal may be a risk to safety. Talk to your supervisor if this is the case.
| | Your employer should attempt to reduce the noise in an office as much as possible. |
Acoustic ceilings and wall linings, carpets, barriers and acoustic hoods on printers are ways to lower the noise level in an office. Noisy machines such as photocopiers can be placed in separate rooms or in screened areas away from the main office areas.
Lighting
Good lighting in the office is essential so you can see clearly and work safely. Different activities require different levels and qualities of light. For example, you will need high quality moderately bright light for tasks such as detailed drawing or checking documents for errors.
| | You should be able to see clearly without straining your eyes. |
Glare can be a problem. Glare occurs when one part of an area is much brighter than another part. For example, if a computer is positioned so a bright window is behind it, the contrast between dark and light can be so great that the detail on the screen cannot be seen properly.
Tell your supervisor if you cannot see clearly to work or if your computer screen is hard to see because of glare on it. Better light can be provided or furniture rearranged to reduce the glare.
