Health and safety planning for office workplaces

Describe attendance and workstation use

Explain whether staff use assigned desks, shared workstations or more than one location. Record the tasks and equipment involved without collecting personal medical information in a general enquiry. If a specific worker requires individual support, use the appropriate confidential process rather than a public action register.

Include shared-building interfaces

Clarify which areas belong to the tenant and which are managed by the landlord. Ask who communicates changes to access routes, maintenance attendance and building arrangements. The office manager needs an escalation contact for issues outside their authority as well as owners for actions within the tenancy.

Illustrative example: a team moves to shared desks

The same people begin using different desks and equipment during the week. A useful review brief explains that change, how equipment is allocated and how users report problems. The purpose is to identify what needs checking, not to declare every workstation suitable from a floor plan.

Turn an inspection into a manageable action list

Record the location, activity and basis of each observation, then assign a decision owner. Separate building-maintenance actions, work-organisation decisions and learning needs. A HIRA or SHE-representative course can be discussed for a defined role, while specialist assessment requirements should be confirmed separately.

Worked record