TRAINING · WORKPLACE SAFETY · 1 DAY
Office safety training
Offices feel safe, which is exactly why health and safety gets ignored there until something goes wrong. This one-day course shows office teams what the OHS Act expects of them and how to handle the everyday hazards of office work. We present office safety training in your own offices in Cape Town.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Prerequisites
- Literate
- Delivery
- On-site at your workplace
Who should attendOffice staff, office managers, supervisors, SHE committee members and health and safety representatives in office environments
Download course outline (PDF)What can go wrong in an office?
More than most people expect. Trailing cables, overloaded plugs, blocked fire exits, poorly stored boxes, badly set-up workstations, and nobody sure who the first aider is. Individually these seem minor. Together they cause real injuries, and they are just as much the employer's responsibility as hazards on a factory floor.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 applies to offices in full. This course helps office staff and managers recognise the risks around them and take practical responsibility for them.
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain the role of occupational health and safety in an office environment
- Describe the legal requirements and regulations that apply to offices
- Recognise how behaviour affects safety, and encourage safe habits
- Identify common office hazards and suggest practical controls
- Support management with safety in the office
Course modules
- Legislative requirements. How the OHS Act applies in an office, and who is responsible for what.
- Regulations. The regulations most relevant to offices, such as facilities, emergency arrangements and ergonomics.
- Behavioural safety. How habits and attitudes create or prevent incidents.
- Office safety in practice. Electrical safety, slips and trips, storage, workstation set-up, fire exits and emergency readiness.
Who should attend
- Office staff in any industry
- Office and facilities managers
- Supervisors of administrative teams
- SHE committee members and health and safety representatives based in offices
- Employees in mixed sites who work mainly in the office block
What delegates get
A BMS Holdings certificate of attendance, plus a simple office inspection checklist delegates can use the next day.
The law behind the courseThe Acts and regulations behind this service
| Law | Section | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 | Section 8 | The employer must provide and maintain a safe working environment, which includes offices |
| Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 | Section 14 | Employees must take reasonable care of their own and others' safety, and report unsafe conditions |
Does the OHS Act apply to offices?
Yes. The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 applies to all workplaces, including offices, and the employer's duty under section 8 to keep the workplace safe is the same. Offices are often overlooked because the hazards seem minor, which is why a short, focused course is useful.
What hazards does office safety training cover?
The course covers the hazards office workers meet every day: electrical safety, slips, trips and falls, storage, workstation set-up, fire exits and emergency readiness. It also covers behaviour, because many office incidents come from habits rather than equipment.
Do office workers need first aiders and evacuation marshals?
Yes. Offices also need trained first aiders and people who can lead an evacuation, and the General Safety Regulations require a first aider for workplaces with more than 10 employees. See our First Aid Level 1 and Evacuation Marshal courses.
Get in touch
Book this course
Let us know how many people you'd like to train and your preferred dates. We can run the course in your own boardroom or training room, and walk through your office as part of the day.
- Phone064 549 5312
- Emailinfo@bmsholdings.co.za
- AddressThe Colosseum, First Floor, Century Way, Century City, Cape Town, 7441