Special to the
Realty/Builder Connection
Whether you work from a home or remote office, workspaces are often chock-full of dangers that threaten the physical well-being of all who enter. Company co-workers or, at home, family members and pets can unknowingly be in harm’s way. While some threats are fairly obvious, others can lurk in the most unexpected places.
In the office, equipment cables and wires can be a menace and an expensive worker’s comp liability. Poised and ready to trip all who pass, office cables and wires are far more than an unsightly nuisance. Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. In the U.S., they cause 15 percent of all accidental, job-related deaths and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
In a home office environment, small children and common household animals like cats, dogs, rabbits, and ferrets often see equipment wires as play things - all too often as chew toys. Clearly such a circumstance puts the child or pet at great bodily risk, with electric shock and strangulation at the top of the list. Even if the loved one evades harm, significant damage could be caused to the associated electronic equipment.
To avoid a litany of workspace perils, CableOrganizer.com offers these simple office safety solutions:
• Cable control on the cheap: For just a few dollars, computer cables can be easily shielded with split wire loom, flexible and durable polyethylene corrugated tube with a split down the side where you enter your multi-cable bundle. If you have to add another wire later on, you can easily slip it into the split wire loom along with the others without removing the entire bundle.
• Achieve liftoff: Cables, power adapters, power strips, hubs, modems and other small devices can be readily lifted off the floor and put safely out of harm’s way with cable management products such as the Cable-Safe? Complete Cable Manager - an inexpensive way to loop, tie and hang cable clutter off the floor to reduce work space risks including snags, trips, and liquid spills.
• Wire fire can be dire: With a glut of equipment, wiring and electrical outlets conducting heat, often over long periods of time and in compact spaces, fire safety is an important workspace consideration. In addition to the standard fire extinguisher every office should be equipped with, other fire safety measures should also be employed. Flame spread is one vital safety consideration that can be easily addressed. Flame-retardant wire sleeving that does not support combustion can significantly reduce office fire hazards. You can also establish an effective insulating barrier to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through structural gaps and voids with Fire-Rated Expanding Polyurethane Foams - a cost-effective way to establish an insulating seal on concrete, brick, wood, metal, aluminum and steel.
• Office Chemistry 101: Office settings often contain chemicals that can be considered hazardous. Many cleaning agents, toners, developers, inks, cleaners and paints may contain properties that are classified as hazardous materials. In these areas, utilizing chemicals labeled as “environmentally safe, non-hazardous, non-toxic and non-corrosive” is your best bet.
• An important mat-ter: Traction floor mats excellent for high traffic and extended use areas, particularly those prone to moisture or spills. Be sure to use a floor mat with beveled edges to eliminate trip risk; those with sponge bases will enhance ergonomic safety to boot.
• Surface raceways: Home office wires that run across the floor to a distant outlet are among the most dangerous office situations with a high risk of injuries or damaged equipment (and liabilities related thereto). Fortunately, surface raceways are a readily available and easy way to organize and protect electrical cords that run along the floor or on the wall. These “cable channels” are made of tough PVC and can be painted to match your home or remote office decor.
• Cord protectors: These wire cover systems are another great way to keep from tripping on loose cables and cords running across a walkway or behind your desk. Cord protectors cover, hide, and protect cords and cables while keeping floors clear and safe. They also lie flat, and stay flat, and are decidedly easy to install.
• Heavy metal: Whether you want greater protection for your wires from children or animals or have a need to protect outdoor fiber optics, RG-6 coaxial cable or Category 5E cables from wildlife or the elements, Metal Braided Sleeving, made from tin-coated copper, is both flexible and strong, also offering Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) protection.
• Take the edge off: Wrap anything with a sharp edge such as broken/cracked glass, brittle plastic casings or other objects, or other materials that may break and produce a sharp or rough edge in corrugated cardboard and secure with a heavy-duty tape to protect yourself and others from accidental lacerations. This is especially important before placing such items in a trash container.
• Get attached: Assure bookshelves and cabinets over 5 feet in height, particularly those that are top-heavy, are secured to the wall with the appropriate mount or fastener to ensure they do not fall over and deliver a crushing blow to whoever is on the receiving end.