Posted By David .J. Minnery Matthew Dogs in the Workplace ????? I would suggest that apart from the obvious risks of an animal apparently running wild in any workplace , that your internal policies should forbid anyone/anything on the premises other than employees or authorised visitors and certainly no pets . There are a number of reasons as to why this practice should be stopped with immediate effect , trips/falls , frightening people with a fear of dogs , possibility of the dog biting someone , dog fouling etc. Regards David

Posted By Paul Leadbetter Matthew As far as I am aware there are no Regs dealing specifically with dogs at work but, of course, the matter should be addressed through risk assessment. A friend of mine is blind and her guide dog accompanies her to work everyday (indeed the dog has the honorary title of Assistant Director) but the dog is very well behaved and does not roam the premises while "on duty". Regards Paul Leadbetter

Posted By Geoff I would agree with all the comments made. If dogs are well behaved then they can reduce stress levels. We had an instance of a person who insisted that he brought his dog to work. The managers would not stand their ground and he continued to bring the dog in. It has to be said we got more sense out of the dog then the employee at times. He the dog was very well behved and did not go anywhere without his owner. It might be interesting for a reaseach project to see if animals in the workplace did reduce stress levels and what type of animals produced the best results.

Posted By Nigel Singleton BSc You haven't said what type of workplace the dog is in, this has a huge bearing on the question. I work in the nursing and care home sector, and it is common for the business to have a dog, which becomes part of the family and keeps the 'old folks' amused. In most cases the animal in question is allowed free access, apart from the food areas.

Posted By Bruce Sutherland Oh dear - more dog phobes I fear - we run a health and safety consultancy with several MIOSH RSP and FIOSH RSP and up to three dogs! There have been some interesting points made and perhaps the DDA is the most pertinent - if one wants to be negative about dogs then in your list you should all perhaps include the risks of zoonotics etc ... but as with most things perhaps the answer comes down to a bit of common sense and understanding - if the dog is being a pain then speak to the owner. I always thought health and safety was meant to be a positive force not an excuse to create rules... but what do I know?

Posted By Marie Dolman One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how this may affect other employees with allergies to animal fur. As a long time sufferer myself, I could not spend any time in an environment where dogs (or cats) had been without having a serious asthma attack!! Not something you would normally consider unless you've been there... Marie.