WORKPLACE STANDARDS

Workplace Standards

Workplace Standards

The workplace standards refer to the regulations established for the employees in order to provide them safety and security at workplace in terms of various elements. For the organizations across the world, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 refers to a UK Statutory Instrument which specifies broad necessities regarding the standards of accommodation for almost all the organizations (Office of Public Sector Information,1992).

Workplace Standards Recommendations

The following section provides various recommendations regarding the workplace standards:

Physical Needs

In many industries and workplaces, one of the many common sources of accidents and injuries include the physical hazards. These are probably the most unavoidable elements in many industries including mining and construction. However, over time people have developed safety methods and procedures to manage the risks of physical danger in the workplace. Following are same regulations related to the physical needs of the employees at any organization:

The workplaces should be adequately ventilated; in numerous situations, the doors and windows are required to be sufficient; in case of the utilization of mechanical ventilation, there should be proper maintenance.

A reasonable temperature needs to be maintained (normally 16ºC); in numerous cases, it needs to be 13ºC if the physical effort is needed, otherwise, laws state the requirement for lower temperatures.

The workplace should have sufficient and suitable lighting so that people can move and work safely. When it is possible, the natural lighting should be maximized and a regular cleaning of windows need to be guaranteed. 

There should be a proper arrangement for the cleanliness and disposal of waste materials.

The room should be broad in dimensions so that it allows sufficient free space to the people in order to make it easy for them to move about with ease.

The seating and workstations arrangements should be ergonomically appropriate and correspond to the worker/task in term of their skills. The employee's lower back & foot needs to be provided sufficient support wherever it is essential for them.

The machinery, systems, devices and equipment need to be in proper working order.

The traffic routes (loading bays, fixed ladders, ramps, etc) and floors for both, vehicles. The construction should be sound, with adequate ability and strength, and holes, slippery and uneven roads need to be made better. A clear indication of restrictions should be made by considering the fixing of protective barriers, one-way systems, speed limits, visibility mirrors, and the marking of routes.

The gates, walls and doors should be glazed with the translucent/transparent surfaces and have to be ether made out of some safety material or be protected against breakage where necessary for reasons of health and safety. I.e. there is a foreseeable risk of people coming into contact with it and being hurt.

Along with suitable window cleaning, the windows also need to have the capability of adjustment, safe opening, etc. Besides this, the gates and doors should also be appropriately fitted and constructed with the necessary safety devices.

A safe functioning of escalators has to be guaranteed (HSE, 2011).

Psychological Needs

It is essential that the psychological health and well ...