In the past few hours  of 2017, there has been various prophecies from Men of God  all over social media. As I scanned through, I saw a common thread of emergencies: road accidents, building collapse, fire outbreak, kidnap and natural disasters. Even if you do not believe in prophecies, I can assure you that it doesn’t hurt to be proactive. In 2016 alone there were too many avoidable accidents and safety incidents across the country.

Today. Take. Responsibility. For. Your. Safety. In. 2017.

Road Safety

As a passenger, if you are not comfortable with your driver’s style of driving, speak up. If he persists, please alight from the vehicle. You’ve got just one life. To comply with regulations and ensure your safety as a driver, you need the following in your vehicle: Warning triangle (C-caution), Fire extinguisher, Jack, Spare tyre, First Aid Kit, Wheel Spanner, Water, Hydraulic, Transmission fluid, Flashlight and Spare fan belt.

Fire Safety

Do you own a fire extinguisher? Do you know how to use one? Is your home safe from  fire? Does you office have a fire safety plan? Do your staff or co-workers know the actions to take in a fire emergency? You need a safety professional to assess your home and workplace in order to come up with a plan that ensures your safety. I’m certain you do not want to lose property to fire in the current economic clime.

Building Collapse

When building, it is important to use sufficient materials and follow due process. But this is not just for contractors and construction workers, our observations as concerned citizens could save lives. Most times, buildings give signs before they collapse. You need to raise alarm when you see these signs:

• weird sounds or see cracks on walls
• water seeping into the foundation
• gap forming between the door and door frame
• cracks near a column
• frames of doors or windows appearing bent or inclined to one side

Natural Disasters

We are in a part of the world that is less prone to natural disasters. However, the environment in different states is beginning to react to our man-made activities. It is therefore important to identify what is more likely to happen in your area and prepare for it. Could it be flood or  an earthquake? Prepare a bag with essentials like flashlight, non-perishable food, clothing, radio, water, water-proof box for documents, money. Keep the bag and a written plan in a safe place. It’s always better to be prepared.

Kidnapping

Teach young children to avoid speaking with strangers. As adults, we also need to be conscious of our environment and exercise caution when speaking about our personal lives in public. There are a variety of personal locator devices that can be made available for individual or official use. Trends like ID cards, wristwatches, shoes are quite efficient at pinpointing ones location without the knowledge of the kidnapper.

Take responsibility for your safety. Have a beautiful and safe 2017.

Image Credit: Google Images

One of the major causes of accidents in the workplace is the human factor. This means even if everything functions well: the machines, provision of adequate breaks, presence of proper systems in place, if the individual involved does not comply with safety rules, accidents will still happen. Unfortunately, in this part of the world we tend to say “God forbid” more without putting adequate structures in place. We are not used to complying and it’s no wonder because it is not something that is consciously ingrained in us. From observation, people who are used to complying with safety rules either work in a workplace that takes safety seriously or have family and friends who do so.

However, as we all know, accidents can happen anywhere, any time and on any type of job. It is therefore important to begin to take safety education seriously. The Goal 4 of the SDGs implies that quality education should prepare tomorrow’s work force. Therefore we do not have to wait till people become employees before ingraining safety skills in them. They should be taught from childhood such that it becomes only natural to make the safe choice. It should be a part of the school curriculum because most habits taken into adulthood are mostly developed in the formative stages. This will help us build a society with reduced emphasis on human factor as being the major cause of accidents.

This observation led to the Train Them Young Initiative (#2TYI) started by Ulomka Multi Solutions Limited as a way of giving back to the society. It is done monthly across schools in different locations. Last week, staff of Ulomka Multi Solutions Limited led by Obianuju Nwadialor visited Okota Senior Secondary School, Okota to share some safety knowledge with the students. Students were taught basic safety skills: personal safety, fire safety, road safety and first aid. This is a mission to take safety education to schools and we strongly believe that all students hould have access to it.

Ulomka Multi Solutions Limited was also represented at the Round-table discussion organised by the One African Child Foundation in commemoration of its third anniversary. The event took place at the Mainland High School, Yaba in celebration of the Universal Children’s Day. The Managing Partner, Ugochi Obidiegwu had the opportunity to share her views on the importance of introducing safety education into the school curriculum. She also shared basic information to the students on fire safety.

Would you like your school to be a part of the Train Them Young Initiative (#2TYI)? Send an email to hello@thesafetychic.com

TIPS TO REMEMBER

• Always have a fire extinguisher in your car
• Know the location of your fire extinguisher
• The fire extinguisher should be inspected regularly
• 3 things to look out for during inspection: It should be charged, mounted correctly and unobstructed
• Your exit should be behind you and the fire in front of you
• If you can fight the fire, use the PASS principle
• If you cannot fight the fire, leave the building immediately