HS017

HS Risk management form

For additional information refer toHS329Risk Management Procedure

Faculty/Division: All of UNSW / School/Unit: All schools and units
Document number:
HS_RA_01 / Initial Issue date:
March 2010 / Current version
3.0 / Current Version
Issue date March 2013 / Next review date
March 2015
Risk management name / Working in an office environment
Form completed by / Melinda Chylinski / Signature / Date
Responsible supervisor/ authorising officer / Adam Janssen / Signature / Date
Identify the activity and the location of the activity
Description of activity / Working in an office environment including; working with computers, working inside a building, working with office equipment, using kitchen appliances, thermal comfort inoffices, moving furniture, boxes, and other objects, bulk photocopying and workload, liaising with staff and students
Description of location / All offices at UNSW
Identify who may be at risk from the activity:
This may include fellow workers, visitors, contractors and the public. The types of people may affect the risk controls needed and the location may affect the number of people at risk
Persons at risk / General staff; Part-time/ Casual staff; Academic staff; PhD students; Research students; Visitors to the School
How they were consulted on the risk / HS Committees
List legislation, standards, codes of practice, manufacturer’s guidance etcused to determine control measures necessary
Work Health and Safety Act 2011
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011
Code of Practice for Hazardous Manual tasks
Code of Practice for management of workplace environments
Identify hazards and control the risks.
1. An activity may be divided into tasks. For each task identify the hazards and associated risks. Also list the possible scenarios which could sooner or later cause harm.
2. Determine controls necessary based on legislation, codes of practice, Australian standards, manufacturer’s instructions etc.
3. List existing risk controls and any additional controls that need to be implemented
4. Rate the risk once all controls are in place using the matrix in HS329 Risk Management Procedure
SHADED GREY AREAS
If you need to determine whether it’s reasonably practicable to implement a control, based on the risk complete the shaded grey columns
Feel free to resize the boxes to suit your situation/the amount of text you need to use
Task/
Scenario
/
Hazard
/
Associated harm
/
Existing controls
/
Any additional controls required?
/
Risk Rating
/
Cost of controls (in terms of time, effort, money)
/
Is this reasonably practicable
Y/N
C
/
L
/
R
Working with computers
/ 1.Ergonomic:
  • Poor posture
  • Excessive duration in a seated position
  • Incorrect setup of workstation
  • Glare
  • Repetitive movements
/
  • Physical injury to the wrists, arms, neck, shoulder or back.
  • Eye strain
/
  • All staff are provided with the UNSW Setting up your Workstation guide (HS705) and Workstation Checklist (HS114) to conduct their own workstation assessment
  • All new staff complete online ergonomics course
  • Adjustable chairs, desks and ergonomic accessories such as document holders are available for staff to use
  • Individual staff are responsible for taking breaks and doing stretches
  • Staff are advised to report any symptoms ASAP

Working with computers
/ 2. Electrical /
  • Electrical shock ,
  • Fire ,
  • Burns,
  • Physical injury from tripping over cords
/
  • Inspection, Testing and Monitoring Procedure
  • Testing and tagging program
  • RCD’s on main switchboard checked by Facilities
  • Individual RCD’s on specific equipment
  • Regular workplace inspections

Working with other office equipment e.g. photocopiers, printers, fax, electronic stapler, electronic paper folder, paper shaker, Scanner, binder
/
  • Exposure to Toner
  • Electrical
/
  • Irritation to skin, eyes
  • Electrical shock
/
  • Ensure photocopiers are located in well ventilated areas
  • Inspection, Testing and Monitoring Procedure
  • Testing and tagging program
  • RCD’s on main switchboard checked by Facilities
  • Individual RCD’s on specific equipment
  • Regular workplace inspections

Working with shredders, laminators, guillotines
/
  • Sharp edges
  • Moving parts
  • Pinch points
  • Hot parts
/
  • Cuts
  • Entanglement
  • Physical injury
/
  • Ensure covers prevent people having access to moving parts during operation
  • Do not insert items other than those allowed by the operating manual
  • Do not operate with loose clothing or jewellery. People with long hair must tie it back.
  • Safe work procedures
  • Training and instruction given

Using compactus

/
  • Collisions with moving shelves
  • Moving shelves
  • Falling items
/
  • Physical injury
/
  • Never place objects on top of the unit
  • Always place heavy objects on the lower shelves
  • Check that aisles are clear
  • Always use the hand wheel to move bays along if available
  • Only move one bay a time
  • Safe working procedure
  • Training and instruction given

Meetings/ face to face dealings with staff and students

/
  • Physical /emotional intimidation
  • Aggression towards staff members
/
  • Physical or emotional injury to staff’
  • Malicious damage
/
  • Consultation with staff
  • Procedures to minimise risk
  • Workplace bullying policy communicated to all staff
  • Equity unit advice and policies
  • Conflict resolution training
  • Security staff
  • Workplace violence Prevention and management
  • policy

Telephone and email enquires and communication

/
  • Aggression towards staff members
  • Intimidation and harassment issues
/
  • Emotional injury to staff
/
  • Consultation with staff
  • Procedures to minimise risk
  • Workplace bullying policy communicated to all staff
  • Equity unit advice and policies
  • Conflict resolution training
  • Security staff
  • Workplace violence Prevention and management policy

Working inside a building

/
  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Fire in building
  • Working after hours/ working alone
/
  • Physical injury
  • Burns and smoke inhalation
  • Personal assault
/
  • Building fire wardens
  • Building fire safety
  • Compliance with Emergency drills
  • Making sure staff are aware of emergency procedures
  • Workplace inspections to identify slip and trip hazards
  • UNSW After hours guideline
  • Swipe card access only after hours

Using kitchen appliances for preparing food & drinks

/
  • Boiling water from urn
  • Hot surfaces with sandwich maker/toaster
  • Food getting caught in toaster
  • Overheating food in microwave
  • Using cleaning chemicals
/
  • Burns from hot water or touching hot surfaces
  • Severe scalding from superheated food & fluids
  • Irritation to skin, eyes, chemical burns.
/
  • Signage put up in kitchen to remind people e.g. “Caution: Hot Water” etc.
  • Follow instructions on label for cleaning chemicals
  • Microwaves should not be placed at high levels

Thermal comfort in offices

/
  • Excessive heat
  • Lack of ventilation/air flow
/
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Dehydration
  • Headaches
  • Fainting
  • Dizziness
/
  • Providing fans and opening doors, windows and vents where practical;
  • Providing water
  • Wearing lighter and loose fitting clothing during hot weather
  • Monitor staff for signs of heat distress

Working after business hours or working alone

/ Walking to and from your vehicle /transport alone or in the dark /
  • Risk of being physically assaulted
/
  • Use well-lit areas like the University Walk to access car/bus
  • Try to walk in groups or pairs
  • Contact Unibeat for a Security Escort from any lift phone or University Help Point
  • Use free Security Shuttle Bus Service

Filing & storage hard copies of documents

/
  • Repetitive movements involved in filing documents, reaching up/down to reach shelving in storage room/compactus, lifting & moving archive boxes
/
  • Overuse injuries from extended periods of filing low or high cabinets/shelving
/
  • UNSW Hazardous Manual task procedure provided for all staff
  • Manual Handling Training for all staff
  • Rest breaks, exercise, and task rotation
  • Manual handling aids provided e.g. Trolleys
  • Early intervention when identified

List emergency procedures and controls
List emergency controls for how to deal with fires, spills or exposure to hazardous substances and/or emergency shutdown procedures
Implementation
Additional control measures needed: / Resources required / Responsible person / Date of implementation
REVIEW
Scheduled review date:
Are all control measures in place?
Are controls eliminating or minimising the risk?
Are there any new problems with the risk?
Review by: (name)
Review date:
Acknowledgement of Understanding
All persons performing these tasks must sign that they have read and understood the risk management (as described in HS329 Risk Management Procedure).
Note: for activities which are low risk or include a large group of people (e.g. open days, BBQ’s, student classes etc), only the persons undertaking the key activities need to sign below. For all others involved in such activities, the information can be covered by other methods including for example a safety briefing, induction, and/or safety information sheet (ensure the method of communicating this information is specified here)
Risk management name and version number: I have read and understand this risk management form
Name / Signature / Date

HS Risk Management Form

Version 3.523rd April 2013 Page 1 of 6