Workplace Blog

Pick Yourself up With a Sack Truck

Posted on April 05, 2013

One of the most common injury a person can have is back pain which can be caused by old age, sports activities and lifting heavy objects in the wrong way. Back pain can be caused by most work situations but the cause if often unclear and can be a result of many things. Lifting heavy objects is one of the main causes for back pain, if you lift a heavy object that exceeds your personal limit - SNAP! There goes your back. This is why it is so important to carry out the right precautions and use the correct equipment if the object exceeds the weight limit. One piece of equipment that can help lift heavy objects is a Sack Truck. They are 'wheelie' good for lifting heavy loads and are 'wheelie' easy to use! It is a great and useful addition to any workplace that involves moving items and will help reduce the risk of injury to the workforce. Our Range of Sack Trucks The Workplace Depot have a full range of...

Queue up for Your Rope Barrier

Posted on April 04, 2013

I have been asked to write an article about VIP rope barriers and to be quite honest, I tied myself up in knots over it. I have noticed recently that a lot of businesses and venues have started using rope barriers to add a stylish finish to the building inside and out. But its not just businesses that are using them, after watching most of the music, TV and film awards on the television, I did see some artists and actors been papped alongside some rather nice looking rope barriers, like Rooney Mara at the Oscars last year (left). We don't know if they are ours, which is very unlikely, but it is great to know that rope barriers are coming back into fashion. As part of my research into rope barriers, I asked our sales...

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Posted on April 04, 2013

Office workers spend much of their day sitting down so it is important that they are comfortable and avoid the kind of bad posture that can cause back pain. It is estimated in the UK that 80 million working days a year are lost through back pain and that 80% of people will be affected by back pain at some point in their lives. Back problems can affect people in both sedentary and manual work and they tend to occur most frequently in the 16 – 44 age range. Perhaps the most shocking statistic is that 80% of people who work with computer monitors will get back problems. ...

Exercise Whilst Travelling to Work

Posted on April 03, 2013

Here at The Workplace Depot, most of the staff either walk, cycle or take public transport to work, and even walk into the town for lunch! So this is why we thought it would be a great idea to join The Big Wheel Campaign, which is to start on the 8th April. It is all about encouraging companies to exercise more by walking, cycling or use public transport to travel to work - and whoever travels the most miles via these methods, wins! But it's not just about the winning, its the taking part and considering we won the Silver Green Apple Award last year, we want to keep that up! Any workplace can join in with the campaign or just do it themselves. Most commuters spend at least 30 minutes to 2 hours per day t...

How Team Building Works Without Leaving the Workplace

Posted on March 28, 2013

Managers and most companies do not consider team building exercises as a high priority. A companies target is to provide good customer/client service and satisfaction and to have high productivity and the only way they can achieve this is by having a co-operative workforce. Many companies neglect the most vital part of a workforce and that is communication, and now that the business world and the economy becomes increasingly competitive, workloads and workforces can decrease because of the lack of money. By promoting team building within the workplace, it will encourage staff will communicate a lot better, they can build stronger relationships and help build morale within the workplace. This will all result in a happier and more productive workforce. When everyone respects and acknowledges each other within a company, extra steps will be taken to achieve any goals or targets and take it beyond the expectations. So where do you start? Commitment and consistency...

The Apprentice Winners - Where Are They Now?

Posted on March 27, 2013

The Apprentice winners - Where are they now? We have noticed that recently Stella English, Series 6 winner of The Apprentice has followed The Workplace Depot on Twitter. Of course we are very pleased! You may already know that Stella English and Lord Sugar have been having fallings out over a series of allegations and she has taken Lord Sugar to an employment tribunal.. But where are the other 7 finalists now? We have looked back at when the first apprentice was hired almost 8 years ago and what they have done since hearing the words 'Your Hired!' Tim Campbell - Series one winner - 2005 Tim Campbell was a transport manager before winning the first apprentice...

Top 5 Inventions That Changed the Workplace

Posted on March 26, 2013

Top 5 inventions that have changed the workplace People across the world take great advantage in the objects and devices we use today, but have you ever thought about what life would be like without them? Your mobile phone, the new Ipad or just some artificial lighting. We have looked into 5 things that have changed how the workplace functions and how life has become easier with these things and have put them into our top 5 inventions (in no particular order!) 1. Computers & The Internet There is probably a good chance that we wouldn't cope without a computer or computer system in the present day. Through computers, we can communicate with people from across...

How Have Computers Developed and Changed?

Posted on March 22, 2013

The word 'computer' means someone or something who computes. A computer is a general purpose device that has developed a lot over the years. Could you live without a computer or any technology that uses the internet? Since the 1940's, there has been four generations of computers with the pros and cons attached. So how did the first computer come about and how has it changed over the years? But also, how has it changed society? The 1st Generation The 1st generation of computers was from 1940 to 1955. Computers were powered by vacuum tubes and used magnetic drums to store data and memory. The vacuum tube controlled the electric...

10 Top Business Men and Women - How They All Started

Posted on March 21, 2013

Ever wondered what the big businessmen and women did to kick start their working career? What were their first jobs? What were their failures and successes? We have picked out 10 famous business men and women who have had a few ups and downs before they became millionaires! Lord Alan Sugar was born in Hackney into a Jewish Family and for most of his childhood, his family lived in a council flat. Whilst attending secondary school, he wanted to make some extra cash so he started working at a greengrocers. After leaving school at the age of 16, he worked for the civil service as a statistician at the Ministry of Education then shortly after he bought a van worth £50.00 of his savings and started selling car aerials and electrical goods. ...

A-Z of School Supplies

Posted on March 19, 2013

In the past we have supplied some of the top universities, colleges and schools, with essential equipment that can be used daily. From alarms to first aid kits to safety steps, we have an A-Z of products that The Workplace Depot can supply to educational establishments. A for Alarms B for Bike Storage C for Changing Room D for Disabled Equipment E for Eating In?Every school/college/university has an indoor eating area or cafe. Of course, students will need somewhere to sit, cafe furniture including chairs and tables...

15 Things That a Local Council Might Need

Posted on March 18, 2013

Local Councils are responsible for many operations across their villages, towns or cities. Litter picking, providing equipment for the public and minor construction work are all part of the councils job to improve the environment. We have put together 15 things that the council may need to carry out these operations. 1. Litter Picking Equipment Litter Picking is not one of the most exciting jobs, but needs doing as part of the councils responsibility to improve the environment. Litter Pickers are the best thing for the job alongside a holdable bag hoop to make it easy for the worker to put rubbish into the bag. The long handles on the pickers make it easier for the operator to pick up rubbish without bending and hurting their back or any other part of the body. 2. Brooms Does anyone remember the Only Fools and Horses episode 'Heroes and Villains' (1996)? Within the episode, Trigger, a road sweeper, was presented an award for...

Workplace Safety - Working at Height

Posted on March 15, 2013

Sadly, fatalities in the workplace are not uncommon. According to statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), an estimated 591,000 workers had an accident at work in 2011-12 and 212,000 of these injuries led to over 3 days absence from work and 156,000 to over 7 days absence. Employers reported 114,000 injuries to workers, 24,000 were classified as major injuries; many of these incidents could have been avoided if the correct equipment, such as safety steps and ladders, were supplied. Richard Pratley was 65 years old when he fell 1.8 metres from a ladder whilst cleaning inside the Snuff Mill Harvester on Frenchay Road in Bristol on the 19th January 2009. He suffered from a fractured skull as a result of the fall, which was caught on CCTV, and he died just four days later on the 23rd January 2009. The CCTV footage shows Mr Pratley was working his way along the structure, known as the Boathouse, inside the pub after his manager at the time asked him to c...