Things like the fire extinguisher and the first aid kit might not seem relevant unless of course, an accident occurs; yet they are among the essential office supplies and to some extent some of the most valuable expenses of your business. Essential office supplies are the type of equipment that must be available from inception because they are relevant to the day to day running of your office.

Office suppliers either those who run the net 30 accounts or those who only accept cash can provide you with the essential supplies, and just to bring you to light on some of the equipment that you might need check below.

The First Aid kit

Before we debate whether you need a first aid kit or not, during the launch of your new office, it might interest you to know that according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), any business with up to three employees has to have a first aid kit with either one or two of the required items, and as more employees are employed, the count of the items also increases.

And for as much as OSHA doesn’t insist on specific types of first aid kits, companies are expected to carry out first aid programs that correspond with the hazards that are expected to occur.

The Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers arrive with the employees as you open your office, and according to OSHA staff should be trained on how to use the fire extinguishers when they are hired with subsequent training taking place annually. And just so you know this particular equipment (portable fire extinguisher) is to be visually inspected by employers on a monthly basis.

They will, therefore, be looking for physical damage, clogged nozzle, physical damage, leakage, and corrosion.

The Laser Pointer

Laser pointers are used during presentations to point at something that is on your slide and this it does by illuminating it with a small but bright spot of colored light. They are, therefore, effective in capturing the attention of your audience and illuminating the area that you want everyone to understand.

Paper

Don’t let technology deceive you that you can run a paperless office, so while it is possible, the paper is indispensable in many offices. Documents will need to be printed, at times you might want to research on something and end up jotting down things. Besides things like contracts must be signed meaning that you will have to print the contract for signing and create copies.

So as you order for a paper from your supplier to ensure that you settle with the best quality, you will, therefore, be looking at the weight of the paper, its shininess, and the finish. So the higher the weight, the thicker and stiffer the paper should be.

The White Board Marker

The dry erasable marker is equally important if you have any hope of conducting successful meetings. The advantages of using the whiteboard markers are that they are durable and can stay for up to 2 years when not in use, and erase rather easily when used on whiteboards. Your supplier should, therefore, be able to provide you with both the whiteboard and the whiteboard marker.

A landline phone

Landline phone and the presence of reception are the two things used to confirm that you have entered an office. Landline phone in your office is essential for communication when clients need to call the office or when the office needs to call the client. However, people need to consider how demanding their jobs are and settle with a communication system that is most convenient that is either the landline or the mobile phone.

Notebooks

Notebooks are important not only for you but for your employees and should be included during purchase. Notebooks are reference books as we normally use them to sketch the important points from a meeting. They are usually small in size making them portable to take anywhere that you think you might have something to jot down. The spiral-bound notebooks, therefore, come highly recommended, because you can easily pullout a piece of paper without destroying the book.

Final thought

As you prepare your shopping list, be sure to put the essential office supplies at the top, a few of which we have mentioned above; others are such as the paper shredders, the laminators, and the paper cutters.