Occupational Health and Safety

Dixon Appointments is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and contract staff through the provision of safe workplaces.

It is important that you participate in all relevant OH&S training, information sessions and briefings as directed by either Dixon Appointments or the organisation with whom you are working.

Information about safety in the workplace is available from Dixon Appointments and it is your responsibility to protect your own safety and the safety of those with whom you work.

What to do if you are injured in the workplace

If you are injured in the workplace, it is an inherent requirement that you notify your Dixon Appointments Consultant as soon as is practicable after the workplace injury incident. Your Consultant will then instigate a series of actions to manage the incident (i.e. completion of the Injury/Incident report; investigation of the incident; risk assessment of the work environment; Worksafe documentation etc).

To contact your Dixon Appointments Consultant call 03 9629 9999

Recommended Health and Safety in the Office

Remember to adjust your seating and equipment correctly to avoid strain and ensure that you have adequate lighting. Regular breaks and stretching can help maintain your energy and increase productivity. Any concerns about the safety of your workplace, or changes to your job description which may affect your health and safety, should be reported to Dixon Appointments immediately. If you sustain an injury at work, notify your consultant without delay.

Worksafe publications:

Office wise - A guide to health and safety in the office www.worksafe.vic.gov.au

Working with computers

Working with computers is an everyday task for many people. If you spend lengthy periods of time working with computers, familiarise yourself with the occupational safety processes for such work and make sure that your workstation is correctly set up to minimise potential problems.

Storage of items on the desk/work station

Items should be stored as close as possible to you to improve access and reduce reaching. Commonly used items, such as the keyboard and mouse should be kept within close reach. Large or heavy references should be either stored within close reach, or in a nearby position where the user has to stand to access them.

Setting your adjustable office chair to the correct height:

  • The chair height should be set so that your thighs are approximately horizontal and your feet rest comfortably on the floor.
  • If the chair height is correctly set but your desk is too high, either lower your desk height or raise the height of your chair and use a foot rest to make up the height difference of your feet above the ground.
  • Combine chair and desk adjustments to position your work at elbow height. Where writing and keying tasks are performed, it may be necessary for your chair height to be adjusted slightly between these two tasks (that is, raised for keying and lowered for writing).
  • If your thighs are wedged between your chair and the under surface of the desk, or your knees bump into the front of the desk, then either the desk is too low, the chair is too high,
  • The desktop or keyboard are too thick or you are too tall for the chair and desk.

The figure below shows a chair adjusted to fit a computer workstation.