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Occupational Safety and

Health (OSH) in buildings forprofessional use

Ir. Trees KlaverOccupational Health and Safety

Department(Arbo- en Milieu Service Organisatie)

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OSH Legislation, Guidelines

and Standards• EU-directives concern safety, health and

welfare of employees• For the Netherlands they are included in:

– Law on working conditions (“Arbo-wet”)– Implementation of the law on working

conditions (“Arbo-besluit”)– Legislation concerning Working Conditions

(“Arbo-regeling”)– Guidelines for Working Conditions Including

Standards (“Arbo-beleidsregels”)

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Netherlands resources on

OSH Legislation & Guidelines

• Arbo-informatiebladen• Arbo-themacahiers

(only available in Dutch)

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Resources on OSH in offices

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Resources onIndoor Conditionsand Health inProfessionalEnvironments

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OSH in New,Renovated andExistingBuildings forProfessional Use

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Noise Control

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A lot of information is available, so

why do so many problems occur??

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Causes of problems (1)• Design phase

– Building regulations OSH regulations !!

– Little attention for OSH – OSH is often considered a luxury and

is consequently subject to budget cuts

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Causes of problems (2)• Design phase

– Design influences safety during building phase and maintenance

– Maintenance is often overlooked– Aesthetics is preferred over

functionality

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Causes of problems (3)• During use

– Rooms used in an different way than planned

– Wrong use of building / installations– Not sufficient maintenance– Ageing of the building– Changing insights

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Building code (“Bouwbesluit”)1. Refers to new and existing buildings2. Implements minimal safety, health

and usefulness requirementsOSH code (“Arbobesluit”)1. Refers to new and existing working

environments2. Optimal OSH (working conditions)

for workers and others involved

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Building code (“Bouwbesluit”)3. Commissioner / owner

responsible4. Performance requirements,

seldom technical meansOSH code (“Arbobesluit”)3. Employer responsible4. Optimization of OSH, seldom

minimal standards

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Building code (“Bouwbesluit”)5. Ministry: Housing (VROM)6. Supervising organisation:

Community administration (Fire department, Building inspectorate)

OSH code (“Arbobesluit”)5. Ministry: Social Affairs and

Employment (SZW)6. Supervising organisation: OSH

inspectorate (“Arbeidsinspectie”)

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An example

In the Netherlands approximately 50%of the office workers experienceinsufficient or bad indoor air quality

Source: AI-blad 7 “Kantoren”, SDU, 2e druk, 2000

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Causes of indoor discomfort in offices• 50% organisation and behaviour

– wrong use of building / building services– insufficient or wrong maintenance

• 50% bad design– wrongly designed building services– wrongly chosen building and finishing

materialsSource: AI-blad 7 “Kantoren”, SDU, 2e druk, 2000

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DONT’S in problem solving• Immediately think about

solutions• Aim at a quick fix• Make things worse• Perform one rebuilding after

another

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DO’S in problem solving• Objectify complaints

– Try to find the complaint behind the complaint

– Registration of complaints– OSH is sometimes misused

• Thorough systematic investigation

• Enquire with the occupants• Consult experts

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OSH Risk Management Process1. Thorough investigation of risks

and possible solutions2. Prioritization3. Construction of an improvement

program with timetable4. Implementing the improvement

program5. If necessary repeat (1) to (4)

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OSH Prioritization

• High: immediate danger• Medium: possible exposure or

detriment after prolonged exposure• Low: possible but unlikely situations

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Prioritization by Housing Services* TU/e1. Safety / health2. Legislation / standards3. Research / education4. Resulting damage5. Aesthetics / comfort

* Dienst Huisvesting

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Subjects• Lay-out of working places (*)• Hazardous chemicals /

biological agents / airborne dust • Physical factors (*)• Machinery and equipment /

specific tasks • Safety and health signs* See next slides

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Lay-out of working places (1)• General regulations: order and

neatness, hygiene• Provisions for emergency

situations• Effective working places

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Lay-out of working places (2)• Lay-out requirements• VDU work / sedentary work• Recreational facilities and

other provisions

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Physical factors• Indoor climate including

ventilation• Lighting and daylight

– No view requirement anymore– Daylight is obligatory in most cases

• Noise and sound

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Why bother?

Good working conditions:conditions allowing for optimal output of

workers and thus contributing to theeconomic aim of the organisation they

are a member of

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OSH and productivity (non creative work)

OSH for the Office Environment

Increase in Work

Productivity

Decrease in

Absenteeism

No Air pollution Source

3-7% -1.5%

Sufficient Ventilation

1-2% -0.5%

Adjustable Temperature

2-3% -0.5%

Rooms with 4 workers

2-4% decrease

All of the Above 10-15% -2.5%

Source: Praktijkgidsen Arbeidshygiëne “Arboadvisering bij nieuwe huisvesting, nieuwbouw, renovatie en huren”, J.L. Leijten en J.H. Tan, Kluwer, Alphen aan den Rijn, 2002

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Improvements afterwards=

Suboptimal results at a multiple of the costs

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Occupants sometimeshave to live 20 /30 /40 /…

years with the choicesof the architect

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So…

Prevention is better than cure!