There are lots of accidents in work involving office stationery, below are the things you should look out for.
The most common accident is a paper cut, these are always worse when it occurs in the crease of your hand as every time you move it cracks open again and stings. A cardboard cut always hurts too as this leaves a deaper and thicker cut. It’s best to avoid both of these at all costs.
Believe it or not a stapler has been high on the list of culprits at work but it’s amazing how this can happen as there is a base under the area where the staples come out, so why anyone would put their finger underneath confuses me. This type of accident would usually be associated with a building type of job as a staple gun has not base to shield the person using it.
A staple remover is a common culprit as your skin can get caught in this when trying to remove a staple and this will puncture your skin in either one or two places – Ouch.
There have been people who have stabbed themselves so hard with a pen that year’s later the ink is still visible under the skin. If they wanted a tattoo they should have gone to a tattoo shop and paid the money.
If you get angry and start snapping pencils, this can cause splinters of wood to enter your skin. There have been cases where people have had to go to hospital to have them removed, not pleasant and not funny.
Sitting down on your chair when it has turned the other way and falling is always a funny one to watch but not to happen to yourself.
Getting angry and throwing items of stationery at another member of staff is also quite a common workplace injury as it is an easy way to let out your frustrations, but it is not advised to do this as disciplinary action usually occurs after the incident has taken place.
Whilst asking around for different ideas for the accidents we have also learned that people have stationery fetishes. The different ones people have are:
o Flicking through post it notes because they smell nice
o Viewing different fonts through a water glass
o Only using spiral note pads
o Stapling backwards or in a certain way
o Only using a certain make or pen or pencil
Catherine Bennett looks at one source of accidents in the workplace, writing for Egan Reid Stationery Co Ltd