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wwwcompliancegov

October 2004Volume III Number 4

advancing safety health and workplace rights in the legislative branch

Common Office HazardsSmall Changes Can Reduce Big Hazards

Workplace Safety IssuesAffect Everyone

Look around your office Do you seemany potential safety and health hazards

Like most of the 30000 or more Legisla-tive Branch employees you probably do notthink that your workplace has any serioussafety risks How dangerous can a photo-copier be after all

Contrary to popular belief every work-place has potential hazards and many hazardsare caused by very ordinary items commonlyfound in most offices For example did youknow that damaged wires plugs and improp-erly used extension cords resulted in 6900fires and $1159 million in direct propertydamage between 1994 and 1998 (Source

National Fire Protection Association) The Congressional Accountability Act(CAA) requires that the General Counselof the Office of Compliance conduct aninspection of all Congressional facilities inorder to ensure that Congress is in com-pliance with the Occupational Safety andHealth Act and its standards The Gen-eral Counsel is conducting the 4th of thesebiennial inspections which cover 14 mil-lion square feet of office space and facilitiesndash everything from House and Senate officesto Library of Congress storage facilities

Hundreds of workplace hazards are usuallyidentified for correction in these inspectionsmany of which involve very ordinary every-day situations that can be easily correctedor avoided

The following is a selection of some ofthe hazards most frequently found bythe Office of Compliance during the recentinspections Avoiding these potential prob-lems in the workplace helps ensure that

you your coworkers and Congress staymuch safer

Common Hazards Hit ListBlocking Sprinkler Heads Sprinklers are anessential and effective means of fire protec-tion for people and buildings Often how-

ever furniture and stacked items are placednear or around sprinkler heads blocking therange of the sprinkler and greatly reduc-ing its effectiveness Nothing should everbe placed any higher than 18 inches belowa sprinkler or positioned in such a way as toblock a sprinklerrsquos full range of coverageDamaged Power Cords Damaged and un-grounded cords pose a threat of electricshock to employees can present a fire haz-ard and are a violation of safety codes Tominimize risks inspect cords regularly for

wear and never use a power cord with dam-

aged external sheathing or exposed wiresNever use plugs when the third prong

used to ground the plug has been damagedor removed

Improper Storage of Heavy Items Largestacks of materials andor heavy articles can

pose a great safety risk to employees if theyfall or are knocked over Heavy items shouldalways be stored close to the floor and careshould be taken never to exceed the safeload capacity of shelving or storage units

Misused Extension Cords Improper use ounapproved extension cords can present aserious fire safety hazard in the workplace

The most common cause of fires from ex-tension cords is improper use andor over-loading Extension cords in the workplaceshould always be properly approved by acertifying laboratory (such as UL) used

only temporarily and used to connect onlyone device at a time

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No Emergency Action Plan Emergency Action Plans or ldquoEAPsrdquo describe how tosafely evacuate in an emergency where togather after evacuation and who shouldperform certain critical functions Allemploying offices in Congress includingcommittees and personal offices of Mem-bers are required by law to have an EAPand to ensure that staff are familiar with itOpened Fire Doors Holding fire doors openby unapproved means is a significant firehazard Fire doors are fundamental to theintegrity of fire barriers which are used toseparate spaces to prevent the spread of firein buildings Fire doors can be held openbut only if they automatically the buildingrsquos fire alarm is activatedUnsafe Space Heaters Portable space heat-ers can pose a major fire hazard if usedimproperly Space heaters in the workplaceshould always be approved for commercialuse by a recognized safety testing labora-

tory never placed near combustible mate-rials and have a tip-over switch to ensurethey will turn off automatically if knockedover Space heaters should also never be used

with extension cords

Want More InformationMore detailed information on these

hazards and how to avoid them can befound in our new series of publicationsSafety and Health Fast Facts This newproduct is devoted exclusively to provid-ing information on common office safetyhazards

Safety and Health Fast Facts as well asother useful tools and publications can befound in the eResources section of our website wwwcompliancegov

If you have questions about any of thisinformation or want to speak with a safetyand health expert directly please contact theOffice of Compliance

This information does not constitute advice or an official ruling of the Office of Compliance or the Board of Directors and is intended foreducational purposes only For further information please refer to the Congressional Accountability Act (2 USC 1301 et seq) and the regulationsissued by the Board or you may contact the Office of Compliance

Office of Compliance Room LA 200 John Adams Building

t 202-724-9250

tdd 202-426-1912

f 202-426-1913

Recorded Information Line 202-724-9260

wwwcompliancegov

The Office of Compliance advances safety healthand workplace rights in the US Congress and theLegislative Branch Established as an independenagency by the Congressional Accountability Act of1995 the Office educates employees and employingoffices about their rights and responsibilities under the

Act provides an impartial dispute resolution processand investigates and remedies violations of the Act

Link to eResources on our web site

httpwwwcompliancegovforms-pubs

Download all of our Safety and Health FastFacts Visit eResources at wwwcompliancegov

forms-pubshtmleresources

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