Most people do not think that offices are particularly dangerous places to work. It is likely that people would cite a construction zone or logging as far more dangerous, particularly concerning catastrophic injury.
However, millions of Americans work in offices every day and many of them do sustain injury. The extent of office-based injuries may surprise you. In fact, persons who work in an office are more than twice as likely to suffer injury from falling as compared to non-office workers, as per the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Why are falls so common in offices?
Offices have several fall hazards. For instance, it is very easy for an office worker to trip over loose carpeting or an extension cord left strung across a hallway. Many office workers also use chairs to stand on when they need to reach things in high places. Using a chair rather than a proper ladder can result in falling off the chair and sustaining injury, particularly if the chair has wheels on it.
Finally, many office spaces have poor lighting or unmarked wet floors. These also pose serious fall risk.
How can I prevent injury?
The best way to prevent injury in an office is to remain aware of your surroundings. It is easy to get lost in a conversation with a co-worker and miss an open file cabinet drawer in a hallway or stray extension cord. If there are habitual hazardous areas in your office space, such as a hallway with loose carpeting, make sure to alert your employer as soon as possible. Additionally, always take the time to go fetch a ladder if you need to get something from a high up area.