May 13, 2005

From the “Required Safety Rules” Employee Manual

Section 8.0 Office Safety

Many employees mistakenly believe that offices are not dangerous and that they do not need to worry about injuries while working there. However, offices can pose a number of hazards. Among them are dangers from falls, floor surfaces, stairs, chairs, filing cabinets, office machinery, and sharp objects. The following are some rules to remember when working in the office

[…] 8.12 When sitting down in a chair always look at the chair, grasp the chair arms or seat with your hands and then lower yourself into the chair. Report any defects of a chair immediately to your supervisor. […]

If you follow the instructions exactly, it is possible to wind up with your head down in the seat cushion. Which actually isn't nearly so silly as the idea that someone deemed it essential that we have instructions for sitting in a chair.

Stay safe, fellow civil servants.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at May 13, 2005 03:20 PM
Comments

Don't you also have Material Safety Data Sheets for white board cleaner, White-Out, Fantastic, etc. We have to, and we're not civil servants.

Posted by: steevil (Dr Weevil's bro Steve) at May 13, 2005 03:39 PM

Absolutely! That's in section 7.0 Hazardous Material Safety. But it's much more generic than the chair instructions.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at May 13, 2005 03:50 PM

I always enjoyed the safety instructions that accompanied NaCl, aka sodium chloride or table salt. Safety googles were recommended and I think gloves too. Ah ha! The official safety sheet!

Sections 3 and 8 are of particular note.

Posted by: Sarah G. at May 13, 2005 04:15 PM

Heh--Section 3:

"Continued exposure can produce coma, dehydration, and internal organ"

My internal organ usually plays a very low bass note. But I had no idea it was caused by salt.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at May 13, 2005 04:19 PM

See also

http://www.dhmo.org/msdsdhmo.html

for the MSDS for dihydrogen monoxide, an industrial solvent found in almost every river and lake in America.

Posted by: Tom Jackson at May 16, 2005 08:51 AM