Bike in office H&S risk?

We weren't supposed to keep bikes in our rooms at uni as they were deemed a fire risk. This in spite of the fact that nearly every night, the fire brigade would be called out to someone somewhere in the halls of residence setting off the fire alarm by burning toast!

Never saw a bike do that so it stayed in my room!

Had similar in an office temp job that I did one day a week when I was a student, a vehemently anti-cycling office manager who again claimed fire risk / health & safety (I had my own little office, it was fine in there, completely out of the way) and she once had a proper screaming fit at me. I got round that one by putting it into one of the toilet cubicles on it's rear wheel, closing the door and putting an Out Of Order sign on the cubicle door. Funny how that cubicle was always out of order one day a week...

I hate the health and safety bs. I'm no longer allowed to hang wet gear on a drying rail on a radiator as it's a fire risk.
I do it all the time at home and my house is yet to catch fire...

 Its the claim culture that has your employer worried. If, if someone fell over your bike, or it fell on them, or it bit them or something. That person would have good grounds for a claim. The bike shouldnt have been there in the first place when you have a storage facility to put them in. I know its ludicrous but thats the kind of thing that the ambulace chasing parasitic solicitors love to get there teeth into. Thats what your employer is trying to protect against. 

Let me tell you from experiance that something as silly as this can easily lead to a payout. Thats what your employer will be trying to protect themselves against. 

Next time one of those delightedly new over the top mums come in to work while on maternity to show off their new sprog, that pram's going in the bike shed.

The last time I was challenged taking my bike into an office, I told the person that it was worth  more than the average car in the car park and not to worry, when its stolen, I will tell the CEO that you forced me to take it outside when I was going to put it in my office out of the way. 

He let me pass. 

Nothing to do with bikes, but my best H&S story is that one night I left the office having forgotten to unplug an electrical item.

When I arrived next day I had a visit from the H&S rep who administered a lengthy bollocking, which I was prepared to accept as I realised that the item could have caused a fire.

However, he didn't mention this so I asked him what was his actual problem from a H&S perspective.

He spluttered a little and eventually told me that a burglar could have broken in, tripped over the cable, injured himself and sued the company.

As others have said its got nothing to do with H&S.

Unless the bike is blocking a walkway (unlikely) its not an H&S issue.  Dont bother talking about risk assessment.  Forget the parts of HASWA listed above.  Absolutely forget about Dynamic risk assessment (even POWRA) as unless you are in the emergency services facing an emergency situation they are less use to you, practically or in Law, than a chocolate fireguard.

If you are being told by a competent H&S person they wont be able to justify why.  If they are not a competent H&S person they are just making it up because THEY dont want your bike in the office.

Coach H - Chartered H&S Practitioner (dealing with this type of $h*t and real H&S for over 20 years)

Under the HASAWA 1974 section 2 the employer has the duty of care to make a safe working environment and to give means of safe access to and egress to and  from the work place , so if it's in anyone's way at all it is a reasonably foreseeable hazard.

also under section 7 of the HASAWA 1974 all employees have a duty while at work to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of other persons who may be affected by his/her acts or omissions at work, so is also an issue here.

But putting that aside, just say you have done a dynamic risk assessment (or a POWRA) to store your bike there and taken the appropriate actions to reduce the hazards to an acceptable level( e.g.  Not put it in any walk ways or escape routes and  told people working close to it not to touch your bike) and tell him to sod off  

I've heard an awful lot of tales (and experience one myself) of H&S managers that are just vehmently anti-bike. 

A number of years back I had forgotten the key to my lock. I got permission from one manager to place the bike in an alcove. The h&s officer pulled me up at the end of my shift. On challenging him he said it was a hazard in the event of an evacuation. I muttered it was only a hazard if you leap into the alcove whilst evacuating the building got called a smart arse for my trouble. The same guy chucked my gear which was drying on a towel rail into a bin bag informing me it was a fire risk. I had to remind him that ignition, oxygen and fuel are needed in the eventuality and pointed out that my kit was wringing wet and standing there with a ciggie lighter wasn't going to ignite it. Also had to highlight that the heat source was rails and there were no vents to block which could cause an electric fire. Got called a f*****g smart arse this time round. 

Take the day off and go for a bike ride.

Our Office has the same policy. No bikes in the Office, not even folding ones (unless they’re in bags). Its not Health and Safety. They just don’t want shit all over the carpets.

Sounds like someone doesn't want your bike in the office, but doesn't want to say so.  'Health and Safety' is a catch all excuse to avoid saying something to you.

Almost all of the time when people say something is forbidden because of 'health and safety' it is because they don't want to do it and just use that as a made up excuse.  The HSE very rarely intervenes and there are very few rules banning the kind of things Jobsworths pin on HSE.

Ignore them today, remember your pass tomorrow, and forget all about it.

I'd say it is no more risk than a chair, but bikes won't be part of any made up Risk Assessment.

Claim culture made people with responsibility take ludicrous caution, as they'd be fined if some idiot trips over the bike and scratches his/her pinky finger.

Sorry this isn't what you'd like to hear, and I do consider it absolutely ludicrous... just explaining a possible reason.