Workplace Blog

Top 10 Worst Health and Safety Myths

Posted on July 22, 2013

We all know that health and safety can be a bit OTT at times and there is no doubt of many silly decisions. Over the past few years, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has dealt some incredible myths about what health and safety bans or laws people follow. Most of the baffling myths have one thing in common – they are not required by health and safety law. As part of HSE's Myth Busters Challenge Panel, they have published its top ten worst myths. 1. Children being banned from playing conkers unless they are wearing goggles Brought up in September 2007, this old chestnut is a classic myth. A headteacher decided that the children of the school should wear safety goggles to play conkers. So then a trend started and some schools banned conkers or made children wear goggles and padded gloves, on 'health and safety' grounds. In reality, the risk of injury from playing conkers is very low and just not worth the hassle. If children are deliberately hit each o...

The Risks of Construction Dust

Posted on July 19, 2013

Construction Dust Construction dust can cause serious damage to your health and some types of dust can eventually kill you. Regularly breathing in these harmful dusts over a long period of time can cause a life threatening disease on your lungs. The dangers of asbestos dust is well documented elsewhere (see Asbestos health and safety on the HSE website) so we are focusing here on other types of dust which have harmful side-effects. What is construction dust? Construction dust is generally used to describe different types of dusts that you may find on a construction site. There are three main types of construction dust: ...

Inside the Workplace Of... Part Two

Posted on July 18, 2013

Inside the workplace of... Part Two Red Bull Ping-pong, ping-pong, is not a sound you would normally hear in a meeting room. But in the Red Bull headquarters in London, table tennis is part of the furniture, quite literally. Jump Studios have designed a dynamic, interactive and adrenaline filled, 3 floor building for the employees of Red Bull. Each floor is filled with activities and features for all the employees to use and experience. Red Bull as a brand pride themselves on being actively involved in adrenaline sports, and this is where the design had evolved from – the idea to create an environment to stimulate the minds and bodies of employees and visitors. ...

British made Security Cages - Ideal for Gas Cylinders and more

Posted on July 17, 2013

Our security cages are a little reminiscent of what you might find at the 'Guantanamo Bay' detention camp although they are not designed to have quite such a high level of security! The most popular use of our cages is for the safe housing of cylinders and chemicals. Gas cylinders containing inflammable gas are legally required to be kept in well-ventilated areas, preferably outdoors, and on a flat, dry surface. They also have to be kept separate to areas with other uses and stored away from places that are vulnerable to impact hazard. (see Health and Safety Executive website for more details). As a consequence of these safety issues, the security cages are the perfect place to keep gas cylinders. Where are Cylinder Cages used? Businesses or organisations that use a lot of gas cylinders include hospitals, manufacturing companies (especially...

Gas Cylinder Trolleys – Moving and Storing them Safely

Posted on July 17, 2013

See our range of Gas Cylinder Trolleys here This article is aimed at anyone who owns or uses gas cylinders – whether you are self employed or an employer, there is a legal duty to have a safe workplace and to use work equipment safely. This article targets businesses or organisations which use a lot of gas cylinders including hospitals, manufacturing plants (especially welding and engineering), laboratories and caravan parks. In July 2013 three south east firms were fined £685,000 after a plumber died and six other workers were seriously injured after incorrect storage and inadequate risk assessment. The accident happened when a gas cylinder toppled over and set off a chain reaction with other cylinders and the resulting high pressure cylinders were propelled at up to 170mph across the workplace. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the six main ga...

The Age of the DIY Festival

Posted on July 11, 2013

The last few years has witnessed the rise and rise of big music festivals and an explosion of 'DIY' festivals. As well as specialist and local music events there has also been growth in festivals for food, wine, beer, comedy, films, books, theatre, religion... the list goes on. Nearly every town these days has a 'festival' of some sort plus there are festivals for subjects as diverse as balloons, 'fire', ice carving, water, peanuts, ribs and oysters - over 20 Oyster festivals in the USA alone! Small, niche festivals are popping up everywhere. There are plenty of great resources about how to organise a festival, some of which are listed at the end of this article; we wanted here to outline many of the no nonsense products that the Workplace Depot can supply the busy festival organiser. Festival Discount Code If you are a festival organiser you can receive a 10% discount on any item by using the FEST discount code in the shopping cart. Barriers...

How To Choose The Best Art For Your Office

Posted on July 05, 2013

With the majority of modern workers busying themselves in an office environment, it's important to choose the right art work to evoke the best atmosphere and mood. Morale will be boosted, work will be done, and time will fly - as long as you have the best art work to decorate your office. Choosing the right artwork for the workplace is essential. A well placed piece of art can help to create a great first impression. Get it right and you can make a visual statement that compliments the office and inspires the workforce. If you get it wrong, you’ll get grimaces and even the odd headache complaint! Follow these office-based, art-selecting handy hints and you can’t go wrong. Think Of Others When deciding what to hang on the walls, it’s a good idea to gather some opinions - especially if you share a work space. Consult your co-workers to find out what they would like to see on display. Remember, they will have to see it every working day too. A pi...

Why You Should Have Plants in Your Office

Posted on June 25, 2013

Ever wondered why the office feels so stuffy after someone’s been churning out reams on the photocopier all day or why more people take sick leave during winter? It’s because the pollutants from office equipment produce the kind of low humidity levels usually only found in winter. Now, you could get together and insist your boss spend a fortune on humidity creating equipment. Problem is—these new-fangled machines harbour bacteria and can be noisy. No, you’d be much better off petitioning your boss to introduce a few plants. If he refuses, try pointing out that improving office air quality is proven to reduce sick leave and the introduction of plants has the added benefit of increasing productivity. Indeed, more plants means improved concentration levels and an altogether happier work force, but your employer should be aware that going overboard could have negative effects. Don’t be surprised if you walk into the office one day and find Nutty Norma chatting to Simple...

Plastic Chain – Not the Weakest Link!

Posted on June 17, 2013

View our range of plastic chains, posts and bases here The plastic chain provided by The Workplace Depot is pictured here being used to make a temporary walkway at Birmingham airport. The plastic chain (sometimes called garden chain) is made in an injection press that can produce chain in a fully automated way thereby creating a high quality end product. The manufacturing is quicker than some producers who still manually assemble the chain and this also means that our production time on very large orders is much shorter. The chain itself is made from a low density polyethylene which is non-toxic, contains no heavy metal and complies with EU regulations. The manufacturer produces around 3 million metres of chain per year – enough to stretch from London to Rome and back! Usage and characteristics of plastic chain The chain is used for barriers o...

The new Mac Pro - is it Modelled on our Waste Bin?

Posted on June 13, 2013

The wait is over, Apple have unveiled the new Mac Pro. The stunning new design has shocked all Mac Pro users as it has dramatically changed its skin from the beast that was. Whilst the new design does not resemble the previous desktop cheese grater/tower it has left Apple fans wondering if the underlying Apple DNA is the same. Well, you will be glad to know that every inch of this product is Apple. The tubular design is built around Apple's unique unified thermal core. They have put all the individual heatsinks, cooling fans and all internal components onto one, yes one, triangular frame. The extruded aluminium frame functions as one giant heatsink and the cylindrical design effectively creates a wind-tunnel for optimal cooling. Instead of adding more cooling fans, they have engineered a large single fan that pulls the air upward through a vent at the bottom. On the way up, the air absorbs the heat and carries it out of the top vent. But then we noticed that it look...

Trucks and Trolleys Now Guaranteed for 10 Years

Posted on June 13, 2013

Good news for buyers of workplace trucks and trolleys – we are extending our guarantee on the Fetra range of trucks and trolleys from 5 to 10 years. This is valid from today. Steve Miller, Managing Director of The Workplace Depot commented, “Extending the warranty highlights the excellent calibre and durability of our trucks and trolleys. For a product that gets robust and heavy usage in the workplace, quality is very important. Our trolleys are built to last and nothing says this more than a 10 year guarantee.” The reason The Workplace Depot are able to make such a strong guarantee is because Fetra's transport equipment is now manufactured at cutting-edge production facilities and with the most highly efficient equipment. As well as precision manufacturing, products are powder-coated and undergo extensive pre-treatment by shot blasting. This extends the life of the product as well as maintaining a permanent, attractive finish (see pictures below of the advance production facil...

Guide to Putting up a Plastic Chain Garden Fence

Posted on June 11, 2013

Everything you need to make a plastic chain fence can be purchased on this website - see our range of plastic chains and posts. Please note that the following does not apply to freestanding posts. What you will need: Plastic chain – this is sold in 24 metre bags Mounting posts – either a spike or socket version (see our video for details) Plastic chain S-hook - to link the post and the chain together, and/or Rubber connectors - used if you want the chain to be mid-post (also need S-hooks with this option) How many posts and chains will you need? Take measurements and sketch out the area the area, bearing in mind the following:...