Workplace Blog

An A-Z of Office Supplies

Posted on June 04, 2014

Here at The Workplace Depot we have supplied numerous office workstations with the necessary equipment that you would need daily. We supply everything that you would need for an office environment. Here is an A-Z of essentials that you can get from us for your office: A – Aid (first aid) B – Bins C – Conference Chairs D – Disability Equipment E – Energy Saving Labels F – Filing Cabinets G – ...

Workplace First Aid Kit - What Should It Contain?

Posted on May 29, 2014

As an employer it is your responsibility to maintain the safety of all employees within the workplace. Ensuing you provide a first aid box which meets British Standards is essential, however the decision on what your first aid box contains depends entirely on what you assess your needs to be. As a guide where the working environment is ranked as low risk (e.g. an office), HSE recommend a minimum stock should be: - a general guidance leaflet - 20 sterile plasters (of assorted sizes) - two sterile eye pads - four sterile triangular bandages - six safety pins - two large sterile wound dressings - six medium-sized sterile wound dressings - three pairs of disposable gloves It is highly recommended that you DO NOT keep medicines and tablets within a workplace first aid kit. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) only provide this as a minimum recommendation, employers may wish to refer to British Standard 8599...

The Need for Cable Protectors at Events

Posted on May 27, 2014

No matter what the event; indoors or outdoors, big or small, village fete or music festival, regardless of the nature and purpose of the event all loose leads and cables pose their own risk to property and life. Carrying out advanced planning and risk assessing, ensuring cable protection is thoroughly thought threw is vital. If you are thinking about setting up your own event, you need to make sure that you understand that you as the organiser are legally accountable for any accidents that may occur during the event, so having cable protectors in place is essential. Events can be so hazardous that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has dedicated a section of their website to cover the topic, click here to read more. Cable protectors are mostly rubber or plastic material cases, enabling you to keep your cables safe and secure, preventing trip hazards to users and damage t...

Plastic Posts and Chains for Workplaces - Little Things, Great Value!

Posted on May 23, 2014

Plastic chains and posts are one of those inconspicuous products that none of us feel a glaring need for, unless dealing with crowd management. Workplaces like banks, theatres, cinemas, airports and public offices know the utility of these practical products can restore order to a bustling workplace without much effort. Just mark the line that you don’t want the people to cross, and watch them obey the rules. Posts and chains deliver a stern warning without actually saying anything to offend the customers, who would stay in queues and avoid the areas where you don’t want them to tread, for whatever reasons. People generally respect the limits marked with these plastic poles and chains. Plastic posts and chains present an instant and economical solution to crowd management. Just put up the posts, attach these heavy duty plastic chains, and you are done. Using these chains, you can easily control the flow of the pedestrian traffic in the office or even regulate vehicular traffic in...

Office First Aid - What First-Aiders and Employers Ought to Know

Posted on May 22, 2014

Lisa Driver, the 47-year-old mother of two has no recollections of the fall that made her an epileptic. Her friend Elaine Bristow remembers they were not drunk, although Mrs. Driver had consumed five Vodka and Cokes. When they were waiting for a taxi, Lisa went into the private car park of the Roman Painted House in Dover, looking for "somewhere to wee". She tripped and fell over a 2-feet high wall and fractured her skull. She later sued the Roman Painted House for £1 million, claiming that the site was dangerous. It was only last week, after almost 6 years of the accident that her claim was rejected and the Roman Painted House was absolved of the liability. The incident underlines the importance of maintaining safety in and around the workplace, regardless of how benign your line of work may be. Making first-aid arrangements is an essential part of health and safety around the workplace. First Aid at Work - Everyone's Responsibility, but the Axe Usually Falls on the Employer...

Hosepipe Protectors and Ramps – Your Problems Solved

Posted on May 21, 2014

I passed by a construction site the other day and they had a hosepipe running across the road. In an effort to make the hose secure, somebody (probably by the orders of the site manager or safety officer) had passed it through a steel pipe. The improvisation would have been inspiring, but the pipe was creating a rude bump for the vehicles driving on the road, apart from being a tripping hazard for pedestrians, especially during the dark hours. Whoever put it there probably didn’t know that hosepipe protector ramps had long been invented. What Are Hosepipe Protector Ramps? Hosepipe protectors and ramps are simple and inexpensive pieces of equipment that make it possible for you to get a hosepipe from point A to point B without risking damage to the pipe, causing bumps on the road, or creating a tripping hazard on the walkway that lies between points A and B. The double sided ramp makes vehicular and wheeled movement smooth and protects against accidental trips and falls. T...

Setting Up a Car Park - A Lucrative Business Proposal

Posted on May 19, 2014

Monday Morning Inspiration In October last year, Epping residents made a peaceful demonstration to protest the parking problem in their neighbourhood. Commuters travelling via the nearby underground station would leave their cars parked along the streets from 8am through to the evening every day, creating problems for the residents. Parking woes are not new to London or other British cities, and finding a place to park your car can be a big problem, especially in the commercial areas. Public car parks are always jammed and private ones either cost a lot or have exclusive admission rights. If you are in an area where there's a need for parking and an open plot of land is available close by, establishing a paid car parking can be a good source of income. Selecting a Location If you set up, say, a small 50-car paid...

Inspiring Creativity in a Dull Job - 3 Lifesaving Ideas

Posted on May 16, 2014

The world is full of rubbish jobs that could eat away at you if you don’t inject some creativity into them. According to surveys by SalaryExplorer, pet care, telecommunications and information media, cleaning and waste management, banking, and courier are among the top 5 dullest industries. People working in these industries can sometimes be identified by the frown on their faces and the worry in their eyes. Some of them get through life thinking there could be worse jobs that they could be doing, "heck, at least it's not like working in a sewer". Why a Dull Job Can be Lethal Psychiatrists believe that dull jobs lead to employee burnout, a condition in which a person feels unable to cope with the monotony of the job, becomes exhausted, and g...

Workplace Trends - Lockers are In, Clutter is Out

Posted on May 13, 2014

When was the last time that you walked in to your workplace feeling like you’re in college again? While lockers are generally considered to be the hallmarks of schools and gyms, more recently, they are increasingly being used for drafting office plans. Whenever we picture an office, images of congested cubicles and over-crowded private desks flash before us. For a long period of time, the typical illustration of a workplace had been chaotic, but this has changed. There are several reasons for the shift away from a cluttered office to an organised one. Over the years, our working style and interactions have gone through significant changes. Laptops have replaced paper and keyboards have substituted pens. With these technological advancements, personal offices and sprawling desks are being considered as a waste of space and finance. Large office tables are now solely being used as status symbols, reminding employees of their importance in their particular w...

Hazard Storage Cupboards

Posted on May 12, 2014

Several people were treated at a hospital in Danville, Virginia after inhaling acidic vapours created by accidental mixing of chemicals at a local water treatment plant. Such incidents are reminders of the importance to be cautious when dealing with chemicals at the workplace. Hazardous substances are not limited to TNT or Uranium. Things as harmless as motor oil or even soap can cause serious accidents when not handled properly. Imagine someone accidentally ingesting a cleaning fluid or slipping on spilled oil. Any decent workplace should have dedicated colour-coded cabinets for storing different things that can be deadly mixers. Salt and detergent look similar, as do beer and…well, so many other chemicals. Legal Requirements and Colour Coding for Hazardous Cabinets Hospitals, manufacturing, printing and metalwork industries, catering kitchens, hotels, schools, workshops, and almost every other workplace can use a hazard storage cupboard or two, if not more. All such in...

Setting Up Your Secure Office Car Park - Things You Need

Posted on May 09, 2014

According to a parking report issued by the RAC Foundation, 800 cars are parked every second in Britain. Rapid commercialisation has rendered the cities into underachieving replicas of the future cities depicted in old movies such as The Fifth Element, except for the flying cars. The sad absence of flyable cars is made worse by a more than tenfold increase in the number of road cars, from 2 million in the 1950s to over 28 million now. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why there's a nerve-wrecking parking problem in our cities. Parking blues keep most cars parked at homes, 80% of their life on the average. They are parked elsewhere for 16% and move for only 4% of their average lifespan. The point is, if your office is blessed with a private car park, you can consider yourself lucky. Your parking makes your office much friendlier for your employees and customers, who don’t have to go through the traumatising experience of having to find a parking space before they can come to...

Motor Vehicle First Aid Kits - New British Standards

Posted on May 06, 2014

Until last month, no official standard or specifications existed for motor vehicle first aid kits in Britain. People would buy any good looking, portable first aid kit for vehicular use, or store some basic first aid items in a container that could be anything from a lunchbox to a toolbox or even shaving pouch. The British Standards Institution (BSI) has filled this gap in vehicular safety by introducing BS 85599-2, the new standard for motor vehicle first aid kits. Car and vehicle first aid kit plays a vital role in case of accidents or medical emergencies. Items such as pressure bandages and splints can prevent injuries from worsening or even leading to mortalities. Yet, it is not always possible for an average person to envisage the kind of emergency he/she can potentially encounter when in a motor vehicle. Before BS 85599-2, the new standard for motor vehicle first aid kits in Britain, the selection of items for the car first aid kit depended upon some vague recommendations...