Wednesday 01 May 2024
Internal Reference Number: FOI_7233
Date Request Received: 12/06/2023 00:00:00
Date Request Replied To: 04/07/2023 00:00:00
This response was sent via: By Email
Request Summary: Trust's minimum room dimensions and office space utilisation
Request Category: Private Individuals
| Question Number 1: I understand that Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust does not strictly follow the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance associated with Regulation 10 of The Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 as it applies to minimum room dimensions and office space utilisation. Please could you detail: i) How your Trust calculates maximum office occupancy in terms of square and cubic metres per person? ii) If such calculations are based on empty rooms or rooms with minimal office furniture? | |
| Answer To Question 1: 1) Calculating office space is based on A=2(L x W)H with a view to provide a minimum of 11sqm per occupant. There is no evidence of single staff working in an area of less than 11sqm that we are aware of. The Trust has a shortage of space and is undertaking significant construction and modification work to improve work space. To counter this shortage of space, the Trust utilises remote work practices to reduce the number of staff working in shared spaces to improve the amount of space available. Regulation 10 provides: “Workrooms should have enough free space to allow people easy access to and from workstations, to move within the room with ease and not to restrict their movements while performing their work”. The Trust assesses workstations and work areas to ensure staff have access to and from workstations without being at risk of injury. If staff raise concerns about space, they are assessed by the H&S team and modifications are made to provide a safe place of work. This includes measuring distances to sit, walk and carry out tasks as well as utilising remote work and hot desking where necessary. | |
| Question Number 2: Fire regulations also state that you should be able to leave your personal working space with comfort and free of obstacles in order to enter mandated Fire Escape routes. Please could you detail what the Trust considers to be comfortable personal exit space and how the Trust calculates this? | |
| Answer To Question 2: When assessing a place of work in a department that is used for administration purposes the Trust Fire Officer will usually make reference to “Fire Safety, Approved Document B, Building Regs”. In this case the minimum clear width of escape routes to the final exit of the building or fire compartment would be 750mm for a maximum of 60 people. However it should be noted that this may need to be increased to meet the requirements of an individual. For example, a wheelchair user may require this width to be increased in order to safely navigate to the exit without being hindered. In these cases a department should also consider the use of implementing a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). When assessing a patient area then the Trust Fire Officer will make reference to “Health Technical Memorandum 05-02”. In this case the minimum clear width of escape routes to the final exit of the building or fire compartment would be 1200mm for a maximum of 200 people. However there may be a derogation to this upon an Fire Risk Assessment being conducted where this width may be decreased. Please note that in areas where beds or patient trolleys will be used then this minimum width would most likely be increased in order to accommodate the additional width required for such equipment. | |
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Our staff at Salisbury District Hospital have long been well regarded for the quality of care and treatment they provide for our patients and for their innovation, commitment and professionalism. This has been recognised in a wide range of achievements and it is reflected in our award of NHS Foundation Trust status. This is afforded to hospitals that provide the highest standards of care.
