Imperative Easter Eggs Part 1 – can you spot the hidden Health and Safety pitfalls?

Regardless of your working environment, be it an office, a leisure centre or a construction site, health and safety is an absolute must.

Every now and again, it’s quite common to come across some health and safety pitfalls in the workplace, but the most important thing about these is spotting them before they turn into a serious hazard which puts employees and employers at risk. 

Below, you’ll find three ‘stories’ from various working environments and it’s up to you to find and point out the health and safety hazards which appear. Let’s see how eagle eyed you can be...

Dave – The Corporate CEO

Dave stepped back into his office, careful to step over the many wires which lay out on the floor from his computer. He slumped down onto his chair and logged back onto his computer, placing his cup at the side of the ten others which sat there from previous days past.

Almost automatically, Dave started to rotate his neck; the consistent ache of looking up all the time at the screen really did give his neck some jip. ‘I must get this looked at’ – he always thought, but never did.

For a change, the term ‘Sunny England’ could be used today, and Dave knew all about that, especially with the constant squinting he was doing whilst looking at his screen. In his opinion, it was too nice a day to close the curtain over the and the open window was sending in a lovely breeze.

“Ah, back to work,” he said.

Louise – The Lifeguard

Louise slowly walked, barefoot – as she usually did- back to her tall lifeguard chair on the other side of the pool. She stepped with caution, not wanting to slip and end up on her back again like last week. The bruise was still there, just on the small of her back.

She could see people’s teeth chattering as they did their lengths up and down the pool. ‘It’s strange’ thought Louise; as she observed the sun shining on the windows and glass roof, bathing Louise in the lovely sunlight.

Just before she reached the lifeguard’s chair, she noticed a mother with her small daughter, no older than four years old, rushing into the showers. She noticed the daughter rubbing her eyes and her skin turning a shade of pink. Louise shrugged it off, climbed the ladder and got comfortable in the lifeguard seat; her eyes immediately going to the clock as she started to wish the hours away until home time.

Elliott – The Construction Worker

‘Just another day at work,’ thought Elliott, as he walked to the construction area he and his team were working on. Just two hours in, Elliott’s ears and head were already hurting him; construction sites were so loud and busy all the time and his ears were always ringing when he went home.

Firstly, he and his team were on ground work, then bricklaying and in the afternoon they’d be climbing the heights. Elliott shook his hands almost every time he lay a brick; the constant pain in his hands was at the forefront of his mind.

‘A job’s a job and you’ve just got to get on with it.’ He thought to himself. He could worry about the pain later on, whatever it was. 

Despite the noise and sounds of laughter that travelled up to the high heights in the afternoon, Elliott always tried to stay near the building work, rather than the ledge. If he fell, he’d be falling a long way. He remembers his first day; he was literally chucked up high right from the get-go, but what a day it was! If only construction was as fun as that day, every day!

Eagle Eye

So, did you manage to find the health and safety hazards in each of our stories?

You’ve seen what not to do, so now, we want to hear what you do to ensure none of these hazards are around in your workplace! Tweet us @imptraining and let us know what precautions and measures you put in place to protect your workers.