Health and Safety gorn mad - Wheeled chair ban.

[jet_noise]

Dear All,

Part of my workplace is an electronics lab with a hard floor (vinyl tiles).
A recent H&S audit has banned wheeled chairs there. Far too dangerous, could slip and tip!
When I'm working in the lab I need to move my chair around far more than at an office desk.
My back is suffering from constantly stretching and/or moving the chair as I use the lab bench's various equipment.

How can I get a wheeled chair again?
Searching on t'internet suggests "soft" castors may be OK,

regards,
Jet

[jet_noise]

SHutchinson said:

Standard 5 wheeled office chairs are designed to not tip, surely.

I'm told that this is so on a carpeted floor but hard floors change a comfortable item to keep one's arse from hitting the floor into an employee breaking machine,

regards,
Jet

[jet_noise]

Puggit said:

I'm assuming the wheels are angled to prevent tipping?

[jet_noise]

227bhp said:

Tackle why your back aches perhaps?

Age/bone mass loss/medically induced decrepitude. Nowt I can do about it!

[jet_noise]

LordGrover said:

Non-slip mats for the tiled area around your working area?

Good idea.

[jet_noise]

Roofless Toothless said:

Office wheeled chairs are really designed for carpeted floors. If used on a hard surface there is a real risk of the chair rolling out from underneath you just as you are getting on. Accidents do occur in this way, and trained risk assessor a will certainly bring it up.

One thing you might do is investigate castors that lock up as soon as they come under load, like some library footstools do.

Of course, you won't be able to sit in the chair and zoom around the lab, but I am sure you never do that anyway ...

Not when anyone's looking...
(I'm 60 going on 14)

[jet_noise]

wsurfa said:

Reminds me of a previous workplace were some HR/H&S stype tried to prevent any working from home as 'they'd be responsible for H&S for your home and have to buy all the chairs/desks etc'

Was a very tiresome process to get them to understand the actual legal position, which was doubly annoying as the HSE quote is along the lines of 'the business is only responsible for the equipment they provide'

This is happening too.
A pilot working from home scheme is being run. Any taker must do a HSE/DSE assessment on their home desk. At least the only kit being provided is a laptop. The power supply of which has, of course, up to date PAT stickers.
The joys of working for a big co.

[jet_noise]

anothernameitist said:

I'd ask for a work place assessment tailored to you whilst you are in the lab.

Should help you with a reasonable adjustment

It may come to that, for the moment softly, softly etc (can I still say that, even under my breath?)

Thanks for the suggestions all. Passed on to the site services chap,

regards,
Jet

[jet_noise]

Jader1973 said:

What you need to do is play them at their own game.

Ask the H&S bod to do a risk assessment on you having to lift your chair in order to move it. Work out how many times a day you do it, oh and mention your existing bad back.

Then sit back and enjoy while they tie themselves in knots trying to work out whether you falling off the chair is a higher risk than you putting your back out moving the chair multiple times a day.

My bet is you end up with more than one chair.