No office is immune to messiness. People get busy, papers pile up and there are blurred lines regarding which mess is the responsibility of which person. Unfortunately, a lack of organization at work can put the group at a disadvantage. Productivity can be lost due to the extra time spent trying to get organized, and in many cases office clutter can create unnecessary safety hazards.
That’s a potential liability for the company, so it makes sense to try to minimize these hazards. Here are five steps you can take to get the office organized and reduce the risk of a preventable workplace accident.
Minimize desktop clutter
It’s easy to let your desktop accumulate memos, paperwork and other clutter that you’re either dealing with at the moment or hoping to get to soon. Unfortunately, this clutter is anything but productive. A mess can be mentally distracting and eat away at your own productivity. Meanwhile, these messes will inevitably cause you to lose time trying to find items you’ve misplaced. Invest in desktop organizers, make better use of your desk drawers and keep desktop junk to a minimum.
Keep walkways clear
Walkway obstacles can lead to falls and serious injuries. There’s no excuse for leaving these items in places where they might victimize an oblivious co-worker. Keep all walkways clean and clear of obstacles—even larger, more visible items like garbage cans. This is especially important in doorways and at blind corners, helping you cut down on preventable collisions and spills.
Install cable raceways to cover up cords
Cords are a tripping hazard. In today’s tech-heavy office, cords and cables are found just about everywhere. For the protection of coworkers, it’s best to gather cords together and secure them under cable raceways. These will help eliminate trips and falls, and they’ll still have a low enough profile for workers to easily roll carts and other heavy objects over the raceways without difficulty.
Provide secure storage for employees
The risk of theft in the workplace is very real, whether we like to admit it or not. Employees can be put at ease by having an option to store their valued belongings securely. Personal lockers, for example, are a popular option. Such storage will also serve as a deterrent to workplace theft, improving the morale of employees.
Have a first aid kit and a spill cleanup kit
Every office needs to have both a first aid kit and a spill cleanup kit. Spill cleanup kits should be used whenever blood, chemicals or other potentially dangerous fluids are present in the workplace. First aid kits, meanwhile, are a standard item to allow workers to tend to minor injuries suffered in the workplace. Keep both of these kits on hand in a readily available location accessible to all employees.
Even small efforts to clean up an office can have a worthwhile effect on the state of your workspace. And there’s no way of knowing how many accidents or problems you avoid with a little preventative clean-up. Enlist the help of your coworkers to implement these simple fixes and create an office space that’s instantly more organized and safe for all.
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