Staying Compliant: Part of Office Environment Management

11 Dec 2019 | blog +

Article

An image of two business people having a joyful chat in an office.

Arranging the perfect workspace is a big part of ensuring happy employees, a productive workforce and improved profitability.

But as much as comfy seats, plants, chill out areas, natural light, air quality and other factors need to be considered, creating the ideal workspace needs to be done with a number of legal compliance parameters in mind.

These include:

Fresh water systems – you are required by law to comply with the EU Drinking Water Directive, the Event Risk Index (ERI) and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
Gas – you are required to meet the Gas Safety Regulations 1998 and the Fire Safety Order 2005
Air quality – There are a number of regulations that need to be met – European air-quality standards require member states to undertake air-quality assessments and report the results annually. The EU Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe, and the Fourth Daughter Directive (2004/107/EC) are implemented through the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010. There are also implications for Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.
Space per employee – Regulation 10 of the Workplace, (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 states the following with regards to room dimensions and space requirements:
- Every room where persons work shall have sufficient floor area, height and unoccupied space for purposes of health, safety and welfare.
- The total volume of the room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres. In making this calculation a room or part of a room which is more than 3.0m high should be counted as 3.0m high.

The above regulations are underpinned by Health and Safety in the workplace, encompassing:

Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 1974

Under HSWA, you as an employer have a legal duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees, and to ensure that employees and others are kept safe.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999

Under the MHSWR you, as an employer, are required to carry out risk reduction using a clear hierarchy of controls to eliminate, mitigate or manage all potential risks.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995

Under these Regulations, employers must make a report to the Incident Contact Centre in the event of an accident to an employee resulting in death, major injury or absence from work for three or more days.

Whilst it can be a challenge to investigate, implement, manage and report on all the above, there are ways to make your life easier.

The most practical of these is to outsource responsibility to a professional services company, who will oversee and manage all aspects of compliance, management, inspections and certifications, reporting etc.

That leaves you free to concentrate your efforts on the lighter and more enjoyable aspects of workplace environment management!

For turnkey office environment solutions, and guidance and advice on managing your office optimally contact one of our friendly staff today.