Workplace/Desk Health & Safety

colstu310

Hi,
looking for some advice regarding my pregnant wife & her desk position within her office. Her desk is currently situated behind the door into the office & if the door is opened fully (right angle from the frame), it is hitting her chair.

My wife says that the office is too small for the amount of people in it (4 in total). I read on the HSE site that "11 cubic metres per person" is the minimum requirement. I havent seen the office myself & I can hardly ask the wife to take a tape measure & start measuring the place.
How would she find out if this is being met?
She did have a risk assessment done because of her pregnacny, she raised the concern about the door but i dont think the office was fully done in terms of size/area/regulations etc

The MD seems to have an involvement in even the day to day things & the lines "you'll need to check that with Steven" or "Steven wont like it like that" seems to have a regular occurance according to my wife.
The MD was in the office today & my wifes boss said to him about moving the desk from behind the door & his response was a cheeky "Why??" when advised that it was hitting "people" sitting there the MD's reply was "so...put a door stop there".

The HSE site has good info but this is quite a specific point.
Can her desk be behind the door? Or how far away from the door should it be?
There was the option put forwad by a H&S mgr to have it moved to face a wall & my wife said that that wouldnt be good for her morale, facing the wall with her back to the rest of her team.
This was met with "we all cant look out the window" response & the H&S mgr going to look at a lab area & retruning to say "they all face the wall in there". He did agree with my wifes point but it seemed abit petty & the reference to the MD was again made.
It seems there is a culture of fear with this guy, regularly blowing his top & shouting & bawling at anyone & everyone. My wife's collegues seem to think this is OK as he's the MD & he gives them a bonus at Christmas & other benefits & incentives throughout the year.

Apologies for the long post, any help would be appreciated, thanks

martinsurrey

colstu310 wrote: »

There was the option put forwad by a H&S mgr to have it moved to face a wall & my wife said that that wouldnt be good for her morale, facing the wall with her back to the rest of her team.

So what you're saying is your wife thinks her "morale" is more important than her health and safety, OR that its not a big deal.

Keep pushing and she'll be forced to face the wall.

the room size of 11cubic meters really is tiny.

on standard wall heights (2.4m) that equates to 4.6sqm per person, so to house 4 people that's under 20sqm, a room 4.6X4.6m is big enough (and thats with the room empty).

fairy_lights

colstu310 wrote: »

the MD's reply was "so...put a door stop there".

Well, that does seem like the easiest solution?

bap98189

You can get into arguments about the number of cubic meters and start quoting such things, but that really isn't very helpful and most likely won't solve the problem. 11 cubic meters is quite a small space and unless they are squished in like sardines, it is likely that the office is going to be larger than that. This is a practical problem.

If the door is constantly hitting her chair then common sense says you either move the chair, or put something in place to stop the door. The easiest solution is going to be to install a door stop of some kind. It might not be the best solution, but it can be done in a matter minutes and will cost pennies.

If they refuse to do that, then it is going to depend how much of an issue your wife wants to make of this. If they refuse to do anything, then the next step is going to be to file a grievance and refuse to work in that position because she feels it is unsafe. Is she willing to do this?

ohreally

11 m3 is per person and doesn't include space consumed he furniture and shelving, plus there is a height disregard.

Posted from iPhone

Teapot55

Maybe a piece of furniture - we used to have a small filing box on wheels in an office I worked in - one that is useful and not in your wife's way but the door hits that instead? Maybe one of those pedestal/ drawers on wheels?

colstu310

Thanks for the replies.....

@martinsurrey......Of course H&S is more important than morlae. Why do people always have a need to say "so what your saying is....." No, I have said what i said, there is no hidden message or cryptic clue.

Yes it does seem like a simple solution for a door stop or to move the desk.
My point is, why when it was raised does it have to be treated like an issue? With sarcy comments and attitude?
Maybe my original question should have been "How to deal with @rsehole work mates?"
The risk assessment was only carried out after my wife had her 12 week scan. The issue of the door was raised from the day she started the job.

There seems to be no urgency to solve the problem. I was looking for advice to help speed this along & was looking for some help/info regarding the size of the room & space that one should have around them while sitting at a desk or the position of said desk.
If taking it further is necessay then I would like to have an idea of what requierments should be in place so this was worthwhile.

Guest101

colstu310 wrote: »

Hi,
looking for some advice regarding my pregnant wife & her desk position within her office. Her desk is currently situated behind the door into the office & if the door is opened fully (right angle from the frame), it is hitting her chair.

My wife says that the office is too small for the amount of people in it (4 in total). I read on the HSE site that "11 cubic metres per person" is the minimum requirement. I havent seen the office myself & I can hardly ask the wife to take a tape measure & start measuring the place. - 11 cubic metres is nothing really, 2x2x3 is 12 and that's in essence a desk and a chair.
How would she find out if this is being met?
She did have a risk assessment done because of her pregnacny, she raised the concern about the door but i dont think the office was fully done in terms of size/area/regulations etc - Get a door stop put in? Seems a reasonable adjustment.

The MD seems to have an involvement in even the day to day things & the lines "you'll need to check that with Steven" or "Steven wont like it like that" seems to have a regular occurance according to my wife. - Well that's their choice, you don't get to decide what the MD does
The MD was in the office today & my wifes boss said to him about moving the desk from behind the door & his response was a cheeky "Why??" when advised that it was hitting "people" sitting there the MD's reply was "so...put a door stop there". - Seems a good idea!

The HSE site has good info but this is quite a specific point.
Can her desk be behind the door? Or how far away from the door should it be?
There was the option put forwad by a H&S mgr to have it moved to face a wall & my wife said that that wouldnt be good for her morale, facing the wall with her back to the rest of her team.
This was met with "we all cant look out the window" response & the H&S mgr going to look at a lab area & retruning to say "they all face the wall in there". He did agree with my wifes point but it seemed abit petty & the reference to the MD was again made.
It seems there is a culture of fear with this guy, regularly blowing his top & shouting & bawling at anyone & everyone. My wife's collegues seem to think this is OK as he's the MD & he gives them a bonus at Christmas & other benefits & incentives throughout the year.

Apologies for the long post, any help would be appreciated, thanks

Get a doors stop put in

Silvertabby

“ the MD's reply was "so...put a door stop there".
Originally posted by colstu310 ”
Well, that does seem like the easiest solution?

Not if it stops the door from being fully opened. Against Fire regs.

lincroft1710

HSE actually says this :

The total volume of the room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres. In making this calculation a room or part of a room which is more than 3.0m high should be counted as 3.0m high. The figure of 11 cubic metres per person is a minimum and may be insufficient if, for example, much of the room is taken up by furniture etc.

The figure of 11 cubic metres does not apply to:

a. retail sales kiosks, attendants' shelters, machine control cabs or similar small structures, where space is necessarily limited; or

b. rooms being used for lectures, meetings and similar purposes.

In a typical room, where the ceiling is 2.4m high, a floor area of 4.6m2 (for example 2.0 x 2.3m) will be needed to provide a space of 11 cubic metres. Where the ceiling is 3.0m high or higher the minimum floor area will be 3.7m2 (for example 2.0 x 1.85m). (These floor areas are only for illustrative purposes and are approximate).

The floor space per person indicated above will not always give sufficient unoccupied space, as required by the Regulation. Rooms may need to be larger, or to have fewer people working in them, than indicated in those paragraphs, depending on such factors as the contents and layout of the room and the nature of the work. Where space is limited careful planning of the workplace is particularly important.

The only way to find out if the room meets HSE requirements is to get a tape measure out.

If it does then her best option is to sit facing the wall.

kingfisherblue

I would buy a door wedge (a decent one, not just a bit of lightweight plastic from the poundshop) and position it so that the door hits that rather than the desk. If the office is not carpeted, buy some non-slip matting (pound shop) to go underneath it. It's an easy and cheap solution. Your wife could lock them in her desk drawer (or take them home in the car) each night if she thinks that they will mysteriously disappear. If questioned about it, she can say that it was the MD's suggestion on *insert date*.

If your wife decides to return to work following maternity leave, but wants to request different or fewer hours, being awkward now (when there is a simple solution) is likely to be remembered. It might not be right, but in small companies especially, you have to compromise at times.