How To Choose Child Friendly Office Furniture

The question in the minds of many of you might be why on earth you would need to purchase child friendly office furniture in the first place – after all, aren’t workplaces a child-free zone? There are actually a number of reasons why you might find children mixed in with your work – perhaps you work from home, you work at a childcare facility or you work in a school. In these situations, it is imperative that you have furniture that is both safe and functional.

• Computer desks with locks (and use them!)
  You can prevent children from getting their hands on scissors, staplers and other potentially dangerous office supplies by purchasing a desk with drawers that you can lock. It is even possible to find desks that will lock away your computer and tower, ensuring that your valuable files aren’t accidentally compromised.
• Safety straps to anchor equipment down
  Do you need a television in your workplace so that the kids can watch educational programs? Do you need computers that your students can use to type up their work? It is important that all electronic pieces of office furniture have been anchored down using safety straps. This will prevent a child accidentally pulling it down on top of them and will actually make them very hard to move.
• Table cushions, corner and edge guards
  To prevent children from bumping their heads or taking an eye out on the corners of your desk, you will require some corner or edge guards. These stick onto the corners as a form of protection. There is also a new product on the market that you could choose – known as a table cushion, it stretches across the entire desk. Many people find this preferable, as there are no adhesives involved.
• No-tip brackets for shelving units
  Because it is likely that you need bookshelves or some sort of shelving unit for your workplace, it is important to prevent them from being pulled down or knocked over. Office furniture can be secured to the wall using no-tip brackets; even the strongest of shoves won’t budge it. The anchors can also be unhooked for cleaning, if you need to move the furniture to a new location or if you are redecorating.
• Surge protector covers for electronics
  It is of the utmost importance that you plug all electronics (including fax machines, computers, printers and telephones) into a surge protector, as this will prevent overly curious children from playing with the plugs. These protectors are extremely easy to install and aren’t overly expensive but they are worth every cent.

When we think about childproofing the workplace, it is important to understand that we are not only preventing accidents and serious injury amongst the little people who might be roaming around. We are also protecting our equipment and expensive office furniture from damage. So, make sure that you invest in some of the products that we have outlined above to ensure that any children who happen to be in your workplace are protected from possible harm.