Improve Office Safety – 10 Tips to Follow

Employees can suffer from a number of safety and health issues in an office. An employee’s safety is the responsibility of the employer and the office administration and should be given utmost priority. Following are the beneficial tips that should be applied in every office to optimize office safety. 

1.   No Cluttering

 

In order to avoid falls in the office, the files, boxes, and other materials must never be kept piled up in walkways. Cluttering the walkways can lead to disabling falls and even broken bones. The office material which isn’t in use anymore should be taken out of the office to an external storage area to facilitate de-cluttering.

2.   Maintenance of Clear Vision

 

It’s commonly observed that employees collide with each other while turning in the hallways or around the cubicle walls and blind corners of the office. These collisions can lead to serious head and limb injuries. In order to avoid such collisions, convex mirrors should be installed at different intersections so that employees can easily see each other turning around the corner.

3.   Protection against Electrical Hazards

 

image:tripsafe.com.au

All electrical wiring should be properly covered to avoid current transmission in case of short-circuits or any other electrical problems. Also, the electric cords should never be stretched across walkways or placed under carpets and rugs as they pose serious threat to employee’s safety.

4.   No Slippery Floors

 

Tile and marble floors in offices can lead to trips and falls as they happen to be extremely slippery. Therefore, proper carpeting is highly recommended as it provides a firm grip while walking or even running.

5.   Proper Lighting

 

Employees who work in dimly-lit offices suffer from long-term vision problems. Dim lights put strain on the worker’s eyes especially if they’re working on computers excessively. Hence, offices should be brightly lit to protect the employees’ eyesight.

6.   Use of Stepladder

 

Employees often use tables or chairs with wheels for reaching files or any other office material that is kept at an elevated height. This practice can lead to life-threatening falls and injuries. Employees must always use an appropriate stepladder which is completely opened and placed on a leveled and firm ground.

7.   Precaution against Fire

 

Properly functioning fire-extinguishers must be present in the office at all times. Also, there should be special exits to use, in case of an unexpected fire. Workers should also be trained how to exit the building without creating chaos and confusion if a fire breaks out in the office.

8.   No Smoking

 

Every area of the office should be a no-smoking zone. This is highly important to protect the health of the non-smoking workers. Isolated areas like bathrooms and kitchens should also be thoroughly checked on a regular basis to ensure that employee are not smoking in these public areas.

9.   Proper Ventilation

 

There should be a proper ventilation system in every office to avoid breathing problems and suffocation. This is especially important in production houses where employees are working with heavy machinery.

10.         Appropriate Table and Chairs

 

The tables and chairs used for the work should be of appropriate height so that employees can easily place their feet on the floor and sit with proper posture. If an employee is short-heighted, their workstation must be adjusted accordingly. 

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What Kind of Housing Market Does Belgrade Provide You With

The city of Belgrade has come a long way from the earlier years of chaos and political turmoil. It is now an ideal stop for real estate investors who are looking to cash in from a fast growing middle class. The housing market has grown over the years due to a rising population of city dwellers. There are many options for accommodation in Belgrade, all depending on personal preferences and affordability. 

Belgrade bridge, picture taken from www.flickr.com by mcveja

Luxury villas

Like most cosmopolitan areas, Serbia's capital city attracts a lot of affluent people in the society. There are property developers who have decided to focus on this niche market and construct luxury villas. Most of them are for sale because customers in this market segment usually have enough money to buy houses as opposed to leasing. The luxury villas are majorly available in leafy residential districts like Dedinje which are not that far off from the city center and are also close to exclusive international schools. Vintage luxury villas can also be found listed on the market, and the buying price for most of them run into millions of euros. In Serbia, the euro is commonly used in real estate purchases instead of the dinar which is the country's official currency. 

Belgrade apartments in construction, picture take from www.flickr.com by jaime.silva

High-end Apartments

Belgrade's housing market also caters for the upper middle class with penthouse apartments. They are very popular with foreign embassies and international businesses that prefer setting up shop in serene neighborhoods. The penthouses are valued per square meter. Many foreign commercial real estate investment companies have focused on this segment of the housing market since it's lucrative with generous returns. They are available for sale and also as rentals for those who are staying in the country temporarily. Such apartments have also become an alternative and convenient choice of accommodation for tourists who are visiting the Serbian capital for short time frames, say one or two weeks. 

Interesting looking apartment in Belgrade, picture taken from www.flickr.com by jaime.silva

Flats 

This is where a majority of tenants are found. Most of the working middle class population of Belgrade rent flats because it's the most affordable option for accommodation. Many of these apartment blocks are built in the residential districts and are conveniently close to the city center. It's usually a short commute for people who work in the city center and stay in these flats. Some investors construct them for sale while others offer only rental options which can be for the short or long term. They are also great for travelers who are on a small budget and are looking for cheap accommodation in Belgrade.

A big percentage of Belgrade's housing market is controlled by local demand, with maybe 15-20% of sales and rentals coming from foreigners. The law allows citizens of foreign countries to own property in Serbia, as long as the same is true in their home countries for Serbian citizens. By 2017, it's expected that restrictions will further have eased for citizens from European Union member states. As the country continues to develop, the housing market also grows at an incredible pace. The capital city of Serbia remains to be a top investment destination for real estate.

Insulating Firebrick

Adding a fireplace to any home will increase its value and create a warmer environment for the entire family. However, there are a few things to consider before undertaking such a project. The most important, perhaps, is the type of brick that is needed for the fireplace. There are three main areas to focusing on when shopping for this brick.

What Temperature Can It Handle?

Perhaps the first question that should be asked is: how hot can the fireplace burn? Most companies, like Ceram Source, provide different grades of their insulated ceramic firebrick (IFB). Each grade is designed to handle various ranges of temperatures. Considering that wood fireplaces generally heat up to less than one thousand degrees Fahrenheit, and that is really pushing the limits, a firebrick with the grade to handle those temperatures should be selected. There is, of course, the need to balance the necessity of the firebrick’s capability to handle certain temperatures and the inevitable increase in price as the grade goes up.

image:ceramicfiber.com/insulating-firebrick/

Does It Keep the Heat Inside the Fireplace?

Considering how hot a fireplace can get, it is extremely important to find a brick that will insulate the heat inside of the fireplace. Bricks that are not insulated will allow the heat to sink through them and into the surrounding area, which could include wooden walls and furniture. The good news, however, is that Insulating Firebrick is designed with this in mind. It will stop the heat from leaking out and damaging anything around the fireplace.

How Will It Look?

One of the best features of the firebrick is that it can be used as an inner lining to the fireplace, or entirely redesigned by using high-temperature paints, to give the widest array of possibilities. Other, more desirable and pleasing, bricks can be selected since the firebrick can be used as lining. This will be achieved by surrounding the fireplace with the firebrick first, and then creating an external layer with the better-looking brick. The external brick would not be able to handle such extreme temperatures itself, so the firebrick is necessary to isolate the extremely heat from the fireplace.

All in all, choosing the brick for a fireplace depends on three simple factors: can it handle the heat, will it keep the heat in, and will it look good. Purchasing the correct insulated firebrick will be a simple matter when these questions are answered.