[多项选择]Health and Safety: the importance of considering health and safety issues when planning office space

参考答案:Suggested answers:
a．When planning office space, you have to consider health and safety issues. Staff health and safety at work is very important. It is also important for an employee to know the duties of an employer. The employer should ensure safe entrances and exists for the place of work. The working environment should be safe. This means there should be kept clean and free from pollution by dust, noise or vibration, etc. Welfare facilities such as first-aid arrangements, washrooms and sanitary conveniences are also associated with the working environment. If you do not take health and safety issues into account, sooner or later you will eat your own bitter fruits. As we all know that most of accidents can be directly attributed to negligence in carrying out safety procedures.
b．Employer has to take health and safety issues into account in the course of planning office space, if he/she tries to make certain that the employees are safe from danger or harm. Any machinery or equipment should be safe. In the office this would refer to equipment such as computers, photocopiers, duplicators, etc. There should be warning notices where necessary, the issue of special instructions, and proper arrangements for the storage of flammable materials. Such substances may prove a danger to the office worker through inhalation of ages or vapor, by accidental swallowing if liquids are inadequately labeled or stored in unmarked bottles, or by fire through careless storage or use. Cleaning solvents and substances may prove dangerous if improperly used.
c．It goes without saying that health and safety is above all. In addition to necessary space and facilities, employer should also provide information about possible hazards in the office or any precautions necessary in connection with their work. This information might also include a copy of the company’s safety rules, the procedure to follow in the event of a fire or an accident and the procedures to be followed by which employees can ask questions relating to their heath and safety. Provision must also be made for the appointment of safety representatives from among the employees. Safety representatives should investigate potential hazards in the workplace; investigate reports of unsafe working conditions and inspections of the workplace.
d．It is important for employer to pay great attention to health and safety issues. I think, the employer must provide health and safety training for employees. For instance, the employer should remind his employees not to overload electrical sockets, and such and such. And the employees should also take reasonable care for his/her own safety. Take a recent accident for example. Someone who lit a cigarette while filling a container with flammable liquid would not be taking reasonable care. An actual accident concerned two girls in an office who were killed within seconds when a can of flammable liquid was knocked over and the vapor ignited. It has been estimated that over HE percent of accidents can be directly attributed to“human error”, and this is why there should be also a heavy emphasis on safety awareness and safety training. The mistakes were often the result of oversight.
答案解析:[解析] first aid急救。hazard危险，危害物。precaution预防，预防措施。safety rules安全规章，安全条例。flammable liquid易燃液体。