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Posted By May Warley
Hi All,
Need your opinion as not sure if this is a h&s issue. We are a workwear laundry service company. Production Manager brought his pet dog to work today, it's his second time doing it in a month. Any comment is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
May
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Posted By Richard Altoft
assess the risk, look at benefits and pitfalls and any controls required.
Make a decision.
Enough said, my dog is always with me at work.
R
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Posted By Descarte
Is he visually impaired?
Sorry it is a friday
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Posted By May Warley
Nope, he's not visually impaired. He brought it here today as our boss is away and I supposed he knew he would get away with things like this! I will keep my mouth shut as long as it doesn't pose a h&s issue to our organisation.
Thanks for the comments and have a nice weekend. Bright blue sky here now :-)
May
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Posted By Tanya Boyce
My boss proudly announced a while back he had found an answer to my concerns over his stress levels and bad working oractice of never taking breaks/not eating lunch. To my mild ammusment and slight initail concerns he produced a dog. Needless to say the dog stays in the office area, is loved by all and has effectively remedied the stress issue of a number of staff.
Can I include the dog in the company stress reflief policy do we think? Is it a recognised stress reduction method by the HSE? (sorry its Friday and been a long week)
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Posted By Andy Petrie
The only effect a dog would have on our workplace is a massive drop in productivity as we all queued up to take it for a walk in the park.
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Posted By andymak
Don't forget there is such a thing as bring your dog to work day.
It followed on from bring your daughter to work days, then the very PC bring your children to work days.
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Posted By Richard Altoft
Is a stress dog tax deductible??
R
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Posted By GaryC40
Does his act of bringing his dog to work endanger himself or others? yes or no! simple??
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Posted By sylvia
Some years ago I did a consultancy visit to a large organisation linked to the agricultural industry. They worked in a country setting, nice place, but cheap and old furniture, rubbish desks & chairs and old computers. Poor "compliance" with DSE guidance, but nearly everyone had their own "footrest" - labradors, spaniels, collies etc in a basket under the desk. No complaints, all very happy, no stress, low absence rates etc.
At the same time I was advising a civil service agency, in new city centre premises, fully kitted out with standard desking, fully adjustable chairs, and anything else required. Staff - winge, winge, winge.
Interesting!
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Posted By Tanya Boyce
Riachard - not sure but my parents get some tax relief on the dog at home as he is classed as "security"!
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Posted By clairel
I work from home and so my dog is a permanent fixture. Love it when clients have a dog as I get to have a big fuss with them - except when they fart and then they are a health hazard!
Seriously thoough, hospitals have those PAT dogs so they can't be considered that much of a risk.
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Posted By Smurfer
A PA Testing Dog! whatever next...? ;-)
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Posted By garyh
Bringing pets to work? Are you kidding?
What next - Parrots? Rats? Snakes? Spiders? Albatross? A bee? (called Eric?)
Hey if dogs OK why not........oh get a grip, just say no!
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Posted By gavinpinder
Hi All
(From a dog owner)
Surely we do have to do something-besides assessing the operational risks.
i.e. Check it is vaccinated to avoid spreading contagious diseases and not carrying fleas etc.
If it presents no operational risks, health risks or risk of spreading diseases, fleas etc. then I would presume it could be okay with the business owner's or director's permission?
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Posted By clairel
Always makes me laugh when people go on about the health risks from dogs. I swear some humans are the greater health risk. How many poeple walk straight out the toilet without washing their hands? yeuch!!
In Europe I have to have a health passport for my dog to show he's wormed and vaccinated and doesn't carry rabies. Even then I can't bring him back into the country without seeing a vet immediately before hand to be signed off as fit and re-deflead. Yet how many humans fly into here with TB and all sort of contageous illnesses unchecked - madness!!!
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Posted By MT
Where in the premises is the dog allowed to go? Given that you are laundering workwear, I'd be worried about the dog getting near to the laundered items and passing on hair/dander which the wearer of the clothes could be allergic to. Also, are you sure there aren't any people in the premises who are allergic to dogs? It's lovely hearing all these stories about people who love having dogs in their offices, but I physically could not be in a room with a dog all day, due to asthma and allergies.
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Posted By David Bannister
Pets are for home. Anyone who cannot bear to leave their pet during the working day should either i) seek counselling or ii) not own a pet.
Working dogs are not pets.
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Posted By May Warley
MT and David Banister,
Thanks for the support. Really appreciate it. It shouldn't be at a workplace although I know it doesn't pose a h&s risk.
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Posted By Merv Newman
Now, I've got this baby lion ....
Merv
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Posted By JimE
Just wondered if there is a VHS (Vetinary Health & Safety) qualification I could do to enable me to competently fullfill any duty of care I may have towards the pets at work???
JimE
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Posted By MT
Well, not that I want to make an issue of it, but technically it is a health issue, as being in a room with a dog all day would give me an asthma attack, and I'd also be covered in an itching rash!
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Posted By Anthony Edwards
May,
Love dogs but should not be in the workplace, I've seen them following people, getting under their feet, almost tripping them up (In engineering environments).
Ask the Boss if insurance are aware of dogs in the workplace, I am sure it would be a massive issue if you had an employee put in a claim, for being tripped up by dog whilst carrying laundry (IMO).
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Posted By Haggis JM
...remind me to bring the mutt(s) to the running club one night MT! :o)
Seriously, apart from any potential allergy issues, a well-behaved dog lying quietly in an individual (not open-plan) office is not a significant hazard.
I've been in three companies where a dog was brought in occasionally - never a problem.
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Posted By David Passmore
Key issue here is the type of workplace involved. For example, in a laundry, clients such as hotels, medical services, laboratories will demand strict hygiene controls for their laundry and having a pet in such an environment may not be compatible to such a requirement.
Cross contamination (hairs/disease/fleas etc) is surely a risk in such an environment?
Contamination aside, other potential situations such as distracting drivers of workplace vehicles and allergies are also risks that need to be considered.
No - leave the dog at home.
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Posted By Tanya Boyce
Syrely this requires a sensible approach of what the business does, the areas affected people affected etc. Our CEO brings his dog in on the understanding it stays in his own office, never ever goes near any lab spaces, open plan offices or rest areas and that it only comes in on days there are no external visitors or meeting with people who are allergic.
It works fine and has reduced stress within the exec team as a whole (hes relaxed therefore they are more relaxed) not totally sure on productivity sometimes though
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Posted By Zyggy Turek
I really believe that the main point is that not everybody actually likes dogs & indeed, many have genuine fears over meeting them in what could be a confined building with limited space & an unusual environment for the dog!
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Posted By David Passmore
Tanya, I hear what you are saying, but even if a dog is confined to a certain area, it is the potential cross contamination issue that may cause problems.
Do people who come into contact with the animal remain within the confines of the CEO's office? - I doubt it.
After coming into contact with a dog (irrespective of the area it is confined to)people could still carry fleas, hairs from external contact or worse still, contaminants carried by licking for example into production areas or 'clean rooms' etc.
You did mention a laboratory situation in your posting and that would concern me.
I agree that consideration should be given to the type of workplace involved, but company policies, relevant audits for accreditation and the image of the company should also be a consideration.
This is more of a hygiene issue I know, but having previously beeen responsible for H&S in a 'food grade' production environment, the required and difficult to attain accreditation for such industries would certainly be compromised by allowing Fido into the workplace.
I love dogs, but not in the workplace i'm afraid.
DP
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Posted By Swis
Does the manager also performs cleaning duties? Who cleans the dog’s ….?
Now a lot of people will say that owner does it? My concern is? When does it do it? During his working hours? (HR issue), If at breaks (Hygiene issue)
Just kidding..
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Posted By Tanya Boyce
Cricky people get worked up over these things! Theres far bigger problems than my bosses dog - COSHH, DSEAR, IRR to name a few.
Dog stays well away from the science has its own space an bed which goes with it, cleaners throughly clean the office and dog doesnt come in on days when lots of meetings go on. Boss doesnt have heartattack from stress of managing a fast moving young company - everyones happy.
When someone isnt things change.
Now the snakes that live at the back of the building and invite themselves in are a real problem
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Posted By AMelrose
There will be some jobs where a dog is necessary - police dog handling, farm etc. In an industrial setting though I would say noas there are just too many variables [traffic, contamination, machinery etc].
Office setting where the person never has access to the shop floor then perhaps but again, like others have said, need to consider contamination, phobias from others etc. Working from home different - own enviroment, dog familiar with layout of building / location of treats etc...
Having said that, I have a dog and my work chair is COVERED with dog hair (along with every item of clothing I own I think!). Thankfully colleagues also dog lovers so compare shedding stories.
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Posted By David Passmore
Tanya - The only person getting 'worked up' over this issue seems to be yourself - perhaps it may be beneficial for your organisation to keep the dog as there may be stress issues that indeed need to be addressed.
May Warley asked a reasonable question and everyone has suggested the pros and cons of having a dog in the workplace.
Of course every workplace is different and one of the benefits of this forum is that the contributors are from varied backgrounds and give different perspectives from their own workplace/industry/experiences.
Of course you are correct in suggesting that there may be perceived bigger issues, but would you not agree that poor hygiene in a food grade environment for example where contamination such as Listeria, Salmonella, ecoli, cdiff etc.is just as much an issue as an unguarded machine in a manufacturing environment? - the only difference is that one you can see and the other you cannot - but both can kill.
Ask the relatives of the poor patients who have lost their lives through poor hygiene in our hospitals. Incidentally, there was a big issue with nurses being allowed to wear uniforms out of their controlled environment in case of infections being introduced back into the hospital due to cross contamination, however, I think this was addressed.
I apologise for going a little bit off thread, but I think you will see the point I am trying to make.
DP
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Posted By Haggis JM
OK, my first question would be - would you allow a guide dog in?
If yes, then there is no Health / Hygeine / Safety reason not to allow any other dog onto the premises, it simply comes down to Company policy and peoples perceptions.
As far as allergies go, any dog owner will be carrying sufficient hairs (unless it's a Poodle or Puli) on their clothing to irritate a sufferer.
I had a long-haired cross (Sheltie/GSD) and it was impossible to totally remove all the fluff! :o)
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Posted By Tanya Boyce
I can see your point completely (i do reseacrh on serious pathogens and toxins so know about unseen killers).
It really is a case of each individual companies circumstances. It would be wrong of me to say animals in the workplace are fine in every situation, equally the people suggesting it cant be done in any workplace also need to realise every place is different.
In answer to the orginal question theres lots and lots of variables - it has many many factors. I only used what we do as an example of when it can be ok with constant review and strict rules.
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Posted By joolz040770
This is definitely down to Company policy.
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Posted By clairel
It's interesting that (for a nation of so called dog lovers) we are very anti-dogs in this country. It's so nice to go abroad and be allowed to take my dog into cafes and restaurants and hotels...and even be welcomed!
IMO we're paranoid about cleanliness in this country. I'm one of those nasty horrible people that believe we over sanitise in this country (including overcooking our meat) and this has led to our bodies being unable to fight off many low level infections and bacteria.
I'm not saying hygeine isn't important just that we take it too far. Wouldn't take a dog into a food manufacturer but can't see the problem elsewhere. Went into an Estate today and dogs all over the place!!! Fantastic. Such a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Just my opinion.
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Posted By David Passmore
Clairel - I think the families of twenty people from Wishaw will not share your views.
The reality is that many hygiene issues in retail outlets/restaurants etc. are not based on personal preferences or the love of animals, but are legal requirements which local authorities will pursue any breaches of relevant regulations.
We obviously have different opinions on this subject and this is highlighted by some of your comments. I for one would never stay at a hotel that would allow dogs to enter or indeed worse - stay on the premises - and I am a dog lover.
I respect your 'relaxed' attitude to hygiene, however, I would suspect such an outlook would be different if you or any member of your family were victims of the serious ecoli incident in Wishaw some years ago where 20 deaths occurred.
DP
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Posted By clairel
You are referring to an incident over 20 years ago! Was that related to a dog specifically I don't know the case you are referring to.
Oddly people are not dropping dead all over Europe becuase dogs are allowed access to cafes. What is the difference between me having my dog in my own home and my dog in a hotel or cafe (from a hygiene point of view)?The French and Swiss generally take their pets on holiday with them.
Your comment about about being 'a dog lover' yet not wanting them anywhere smacks of - I'm not prejudiced, I knew a gay person once attitutude.
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