OH&S for call centres

Although call centres are considered to be "modern workplaces," there are numerous Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) issues that both managers and employees need to be alert to.

An obvious issue relates to working with computers. There is no doubt that spending long hours in front of a screen can cause workers a number of problems. These include stress, visual discomfort, as well as aches and pains in the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders.

Other issues associated with screen-based work, include the ergonomics of the workstation, electro-magnetic radiation and the temperature and humidity in the workspace.

As with any workplace, employers in call centres have a legal responsibility (usually referred to as a 'duty of care') to ensure the health, safety and welfare of agents and all other personnel. And the responsibility extends to contractors and members of the public while they are at the workplace.

Among a long list of other standards, the OH&S legislation in each Australian state requires employers to provide:

• Equipment and machinery that is safe, when used properly;
• A safe and healthy working environment, and safe and healthy methods and procedures (systems) for working;
• Adequate health and safety information and supervision for all workers;
• Adequate facilities and first aid for employees;
• A process for consultation with workers over safety issues; and
• Effective and strongly supported processes for identifying hazards, assessing risks and eliminating or controlling those risks.

Of course, it is not enough to simply install safe equipment. Such equipment must be maintained. Where call centre equipment, for example, a head set, is in use for many hours every day, there needs to be a system of independent checking, to ensure that it remains in good order.

It is also very important for employers to provide all call centre workers with sufficient initial and ongoing training and instruction in the safe use, handling, and storage of equipment, machinery and chemicals.

In a call centre, this requirement would most obviously apply to equipment such as:

• Headsets
• Computer equipment
• Furniture
• Chemicals that may be used for cleaning headsets and computer monitors.

Of course, health and safety is not a one-sided issue. Employers have specific responsibilities, but so do employees. In the first instance, in setting standards and creating a workspace that’s suitable, the primary responsibility for making sure that work activities are safe lies with the employer. However, all staff members, including the most junior people, have a role to play in creating a safe workplace and in working together to keep it that way.

Specific responsibilities for employees include:

• Taking reasonable care for the health and safety of others;
• Co-operating with employers in matters of health and safety; and
• Avoiding any action that interferes with the safe working of any equipment in the workplace.

An obvious issue in call centres that may sometimes be forgotten is air quality. Most OH&S legislation requires that all workplaces, including offices should be ventilated with either fresh air from outside or re-circulated air that has been adequately filtered and purified.

This regulation aims to ensure that stale, contaminated, hot or humid air is removed from places like call centres, so that workers do not suffer ill health effects such as tiredness, lethargy, headaches, dry or itchy skin and eye irritations.

Adequate ventilation is particularly important in call centres, as the high concentration of employees and high level of occupation increase the risk of airborne pollutants and irritants. These, in turn, increase the risk of sickness, as bacteria and viruses can easily cause colds, and dust can irritate the throat and lungs which may contribute to voice problems or trigger asthma.