The temperature is getting (slightly) warmer, and baseball season is almost here. These signs are all pointing in one direction — spring is upon us! And with spring comes the urge to declutter and reorganize before summer begins. This year, consider adding a few tasks to your spring cleaning regimen that are aimed at keeping your office not only tidy but also safe. In honor of the season, here are 11 tips to help spring clean your office and keep it safe.
11. Start a new habit of being organized. Who says New Year’s is the only time for resolutions? Make a spring resolution to keep your desk organized, putting five minutes into your daily calendar to go through all of the things that you have on your desk.
10. Do it in sections. Any task can seem daunting if you do it all at once. Take it in sections. Even if you only clean a little bit of your office space, you’ll feel better than if you don’t clean at all.
9. Ditch the ink. What’s more frustrating than reaching for a pen, only to find out it doesn’t work? Non-working pens seem to outnumber the working ones by a five-to-one margin. Go through your pens. If it doesn’t work, toss it out. Life’s too short for scribbling and shaking.
8. Sort your papers. Your email inbox isn’t the only thing that’s overflowing. Go through that stack of papers that’s been growing since the last time you cleaned your desk. Make a system and keep up with it. An excessive amount of paper in an office is a fire hazard. One of the reasons that fires spread so quickly in offices is due to the abundance of combustible materials. Loose paper, discarded packaging, waste bins and furnishings provide plenty of fuel for fires. Although the risk created by these materials cannot be completely removed, it can be significantly reduced by taking steps to keep the office tidy and free from unnecessary paper and packaging.
7. Clean your computers and other electronics. We use them every day, spill coffee on them, and sometimes take them into the bathroom with us. Take a few minutes and clean your electronics (with special wipes for your screens, a keyboard cleaner that picks up junk in between the letters, and even a spray can of air should do the trick). Also, spring is a great time to check your office fire extinguisher and batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detector. This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of spring cleaning, but it’s an essential supply in any office.
6. Contain the cords. At the very least, find a way to contain all of the cords that are running from your various (newly cleaned) electronic devices. To reduce the risk of a fire starting due to damaged cords, the wiring for all electrical equipment should be inspected on a regular basis and replaced if it is becoming worn. Remember the cords on the floor can become tripping hazards. Cleaning the cord clutter on the floor can avoid falls.
5. Organize your emails. The inbox full of papers only gets filled every so often. But every day welcomes you to hundreds of new emails demanding your attention. Keep this organized, even if you’re the only one who sees it. Keep your emails safe by locking your computer when you leave your desk too.
4. Get a better to-do list. As long as we’re going through your email, use it as a communications tool (as it was originally intended) and not as a to-do list.
3. Get a basket (or two). Sure, there are tons of great design ideas in all of those magazines that you’re subscribed to, but they’re taking up a huge chunk of space on your desk. Get a nice-looking basket for under your desk where you can keep all of these great ideas.
2. Ask the tough questions. As great as all of those design magazines, brochures and vendor swag may be, are you ever really going to use them? What about that memo from last month about the changes in benefits you never really understood? Set yourself a 1 month date – if you haven’t looked at it in a month, send it to the trash. In all your cleaning, remember to lift with your limits. Spring cleaning usually entails some lifting of piles of heavy magazines, boxes, or furniture. Take time to rest and don’t overexert yourself. Be safe when cleaning and moving items.
1. Remember the round (or trash) file. If you have to ask if you need it, you probably don’t.
Although there are a seemingly infinite number of tasks involved in spring cleaning, safety should be on the top of any spring checklist. By keeping the above tips in mind, you can help make sure that your yearly deep clean leaves your office tidy and safe for you and those you work with. Good luck!
For further motivation, keep in mind that “Organize Your Files Week” is April 12–19. Click on the link for tips on file organization: http://organizinginri.com/1/post/2013/04/its-organize-your-files-week.html
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This article originally posted in Environmental Health & Safety's Speaking of Safety Blog. Environmental Health & Safety is a division of Risk Management. Visit the Speaking of Safety Blog here.