January is the month of Cervical Cancer awareness so I would be joining the #CheatCervicalCancer awareness campaign put together by @smilewithmeinitiative

What we eat has a direct connection to our mood, performance and our safety throughout the day.

TIPS TO REMEMBER

• People tend to take more shortcuts when they are tired or stressed
• Distractions cause more accidents than any other factor
• Eating right is important
• Breakfast gives you the right energy boost to start up your day
• The type of food eaten determines the energy levels that one can maintain during the day
• Avoid energy drinks and high sugar foods because they lead to blood sugar highs and lows
• Blood sugar highs and lows leads to mood changes all day. One minute you are alert and as soon as your supply runs low, you feel drowsy and weak
• Avoid cookies, pastries, candy bars because they lead to erratic blood sugar levels
• Maintain blood sugar on even level by eating whole grain carbohydrates, cereals, breads or fruits
• If you feel fatigued, stop work.

It’s the eighth month already, the year is speeding by. It sure feels like we are racing against time. August is here and with it various Summer plans. We’ve all worked so hard and it’s time to let down our hair.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be on vacation at this time. The present economic situation, job uncertainty, salary delays, loss of jobs, high prices of goods, home pressures, looming deadlines are just a few stressors. Reports of the increasing exchange rates, loss of jobs across sectors, abandoned houses in high brow areas and the need to still meet up with the Jones’s is beginning to have its effect on our people. So much has happened and a lot would still happen. You might not be able  to go on vacation now or can’t even afford it but you can still relieve stress right here in the course of your daily routine. Between, who says the vacation must be abroad? We could try less expensive options within the country or just stay home and re-strategise. Lord knows, this is the time to manage our resources effectively.

Stress of any sort could lead to increased heart attack, hypertension and other disorders. This is harmful to our physical and emotional health. However, we are a resilient people with a knack for overcoming tough times.

Here’s how we can relieve stress in this trying period:

• Setting boundaries: Partition your day. Decide upfront that work should not encroach into rest periods. During rest periods, avoid work related activities to give you time to relax. Also, decide when you’d take on various tasks at work e.g Emails, one on one meetings, phone calls etc. Setting boundaries position you for effectiveness and reduces stress.
• Healthy eating: Due to improper time management, we have become victims of unhealthy eating. Snacks and fizzy drinks are gradually replacing staples. We are eating lots of stuff but are missing out on healthier options that could boost our immune system and overall well being. Let’s start eating right and drinking water, lots and lots of it.
• Time off: Make a conscious effort to engage in relaxing activities during your time off work. Read novels, see movies, go dancing, hang out with friends, watch a play, attend comedy events. These things just have a way of making you see that life is still good.
• Taking a deep breath: According to Sharon Melnick, a business psychologist, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or are coming out of a tense meeting and need to clear your head, a few minutes of deep breathing will restore balance. Simply inhale for five seconds, hold and exhale in equal counts through the nose. “It’s like getting the calm and focus of a 90-minute yoga class in three minutes or less at your desk,” she says.
• Exercise: Instead of reaching for alcohol or fast food why not take a run or a brisk walk? Exercise is known to improve overall well being and reduce likelihood of various ailments.
• Sleep: Most of us have to wake up so early in order to beat traffic and still return very late from work due traffic. When we get home, we don’t fall asleep immediately as we still try to do one or two things. All these eats into our sleep time. We need to start sleeping well as good sleep is a great factor in relieving stress.
• Prioritise your priority: There will always be too many tasks competing for our attention. We need to prioritise and start with performing tasks that would have the greatest impact before moving down the list. Multi-tasking reduces efficiency. It’s important to focus and perform tasks one after the order.

Now, we understand you need to work and achieve all those lovely goals. However, we also know you won’t achieve any if you are a victim of stress.

Do you have more stress relieving tips? Share with us.

Image credit: @ulomka, EAP provider, Google

At some point in our lives,  we’ve had cause to slip, trip or fall. Some of us escaped with minor bruises but some others got hospitalised. We might have  heard of someone who died as a result of this. Slips, Trips and Falls are normally grouped together because it has to do with falling either on the same  level or from a height. They are a major cause of accidents both in the workplace and at home. Slips occur on the same level either due spills, wrong footwear or the flooring type. Trips also occur on the same level either due uneven flooring, unseen objects, trailing cables etc. Falls are usually from a height and it could vary from stairs to buildings.

TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Good housekeeping

A neat and orderly home/workplace is a great safety tool. You might know how to manoeuvre your space without incident but what happens if a child or visitor is introduced to your environment?

• Always reroute trailing cables. Don’t plug the laptop in Point A and travel to sit at Point G. This goes for every equipment with long cords. Always place in such a way that no one would trip. If this is unavoidable,  then you need to ANNOUNCE  the presence of a hazard. Put up bold and legible caution signs.

• Always mop up spills whenever you see them. Some of us are guilty of turning a blind eye because we do not want to “work”  or it’s not our “job”. But what happens if for some reason you have to rush, you forget where the spill is and you couldn’t side-step it this time? You’re right, some body part might get twisted.

• Always complete one task before starting another. Put away things you have finished using in their right locations. Close compartments/cabinets/drawers after use before opening another. Asides hitting your head, they could cause you to fall. Yes, we know you want to multi task and achieve everything at once. However, you are safer, one task at a time.
• Remove obstructions from walkways. You just never know when you’d have to pass that same walkway at a faster or distracted pace. Be sensitive to the new people entering your space by thinking of their safety.
• Ensure carpets and rugs are properly laid. Many have tripped and  fallen from uneven floor covering.
• Adequate lighting of workplaces and homes. If the environment is properly lit, it would help you see and avoid trip hazards. Therefore, when a light bulbs get faulty, do something about it because it could save the next person.

Appropriate footwear

It’s important to wear appropriate footwear to different environments. If work or leisure would take you outdoors, you need to wear footwear with good grip to prevent falls. There are different footwear for different terrains. Know where you are going and choose right. The right footwear gives you comfort and keeps you safe when you encounter trip hazards.

Choice of flooring

Inasmuch as we want to beautify our homes and workplaces, we should not compromise our safety. When choosing flooring plans, choose designs with good traction. Modifications can be made to existing floor choices to make them anti-slip. Always consult an expert.

Be Attentive

If you put on the right footwear, have good floors, keep your space clean and orderly but do not pay attention to where you’re going, you are likely to trip, slip or fall. Avoid distractions when moving around. Drop the phones. If you have to use your phone, pause to do that before you continue moving.

Reporting

When you see something wrong: faulty bulbs, trailing cables, spills, uneven floors and other trip hazards, do something about it. If you are in a position to correct the situation, do so immediately. If you are not, report to appropriate authority to take action. Your action could save a life.

Image credit: @844-after-crash, @ulomka

According to Florida chiropractor Dean L. Fishman, D.C., Text neck is an overuse syndrome or a repetitive stress injury, where you have your head hung forward and down looking at your mobile device for extended periods.  He further explains  that for every one inch of forward head movement, the weight of the head increases by 100%. This positioning of the neck leads to excessive strain on the spine and could cause permanent damage over time. A recent study shows that 79℅ of the population between  18-44 have their cellphones with them almost all the time – with only 2 hours of their waking day spent without their cell phone on hand. Wow!

In the past, we assumed this posture to read but after reading, we continued with other activities. But today, this posture is more constant because we spend time using various devices for various functions throughout our day. It’s time for us to start making life changing adjustments to avoid early onset of arthritis.

Symptoms are:

• Neck pain and soreness
• Chronic headaches
• Upper back pain
• Shoulder pain

Treatment

• Prevention

1) Try to keep your devices at eye level during use

2) Take frequent breaks. Do not  focus on these gadgets for too long

3) Always maintain correct posture even when performing other tasks

• Rehabilitation

1) It is important to strengthen your core muscles by specific neck exercises. It is best to seek the help of a Physiotherapist to guide you.

2) There’s an app that could help you too. Thanks to Dr Fishman,  we now have a “Text Neck” app for Android users which offers immediate real time feedback about your posture.

Hopefully, when we begin to make lifestyle changes, we won’t need a sign like this. *wink*

Image Credit: @health_and_safety

One of the factors leading to back pain and other Work related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) is poor lifting techniques. We need to know how to lift safely whether we lift as a source of livelihood or just lift things from time to time at work or at home. Ladies, we know you love those tote bags but carrying too much stuff in them is risky to your overall well-being as too much load on one shoulder or under one arm, creates uneven pressure on the spine. Reduce the content of handbags.

Poor lifting could lead to back sprains and strains, cuts, muscle pulls, wrist injuries, elbow injuries, hernias, fractures and spinal injuries. Most times, effects are not immediate but over time, health complications arise. Therefore, it’s important to introduce machines, lifting devices and get help when the load is beyond one’s capability.

There are 4 important considerations in lifting:
• Task: assess the actual lifting process to ascertain that the task has been properly designed and thought through
• Individual: assess the physical capability of the people to be engaged in the task (this is why physical strength and stamina are factors when employing loaders, bouncers)
• Load: assess the size, shape, content, temperature of load to be carried. This is important because it determines how the load can be carried safely. We definitely cannot carry a big pot of boiling water the way we would carry a cold one.
• Environment: assess the immediate vicinity where the lifting would take place in order to make better decisions. Check for obstruction, the floors, lighting, temperature

Six Steps to Lift Correctly
• Size up the load
• Spread feet apart with one foot slightly in front of the other for balance
• Squat and maintain an upright posture, no slouching
• Grip the base of the load firmly
• Lift with your legs not your back. Rise up slowly with the load
• Hold load close to your body

Tips to note
DOs
• Always think before commencing the process
• Make sure there is a ready location to drop the load before commencement of lifting
• Move in small steps and change direction with your feet not your body
• Lower load in the reverse procedure for lifting
• Always put on appropriate footwear
• If the load is too big for you, reduce size or get help and work in sync with your partner
• If necessary wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gloves, coverall etc.
• As much as possible, introduce machines and lifting devices for heavy load

DON’Ts
• Do not lift by bending forward, it could damage your back
• Do not twist your body when lifting or carrying load
• Do not use the load to block your view
• Do not lift heavy loads above shoulder level

Practice they say makes perfect, if we keep making a conscious effort, it becomes a part of us.

Happy future lifting!

@Regrann from @health_and_safety – #Ergonomic #office #safety #health #HSE #nebosh #osha #السلامة #الصحة #Regrann Very apt video on Ergonomics and YOU. #healthandsafetyawareness#ergonomics#health#safety#safetyatwork#workplacesafetyandhealth#buinesssafety#occupationalhealthandsafety#occupationalhealth#women#womeninbusiness#meninbusiness#femaleentrepreneur #nigerianentrepreneur#ulomka#startups#safetyfirst#safetyalways

A video posted by Ulomka (@ulomka) on May 30, 2016 at 6:48am PDT

Too many young people and lots of older ones are at the mercy of musculoskeletal disorders, pain, aches and swellings in various body parts arising from our workplaces. Employees and employers alike experience this pain and it is a great source of discomfort. It could be caused by poor posture for long duration, poor lifting techniques, carrying heavy load, poorly designed workstation or poorly designed task. It’s doubtful that anyone is born with most of this sort of pain, so lifestyle changes and adjustments in the workplace can save us money meant for hospital bills.

Ergonomics has to do with the interaction between humans, equipment and the environment. This means that the workspace should be such that it is comfortable and safe for all to use irrespective of your height or size. Therefore, when a new equipment is to be chosen, a new procedure introduced or a workspace designed, ergonomics should be taken into consideration. This would reduce poor performance and ill health arising from stooping, over-stretching, overreaching and poor lifting techniques. All of which eventually leads to work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs).

WRULDs includes a variety of ailments affecting the fingers, arms, neck, hands and upper body. But hey, it’s not so gloomy as changes can be introduced in the workplace to reduce this as much as is reasonably practicable.

• Redesign the workspace. If you’re a chef, all ingredients should be arranged within hand reach. You shouldn’t have to perform gymnastics to reach an item. If you spend more hours in front of a computer, ensure your seat and the screen is properly aligned to prevent neck strain.
• Reduce repetitive movements. If you’re a business owner in the production sector, consider use of machines for repetitive tasks or employ more people and engage them in shift duty to reduce the amount of time spent performing repetitive tasks.
• Always maintain correct posture at work, at home, while driving or as a passenger. If the seats at work are not convenient or comfortable, improvise. Throw pillows come in handy to rest your lower back.
• Endeavour to do your work in good time to prevent avoidable stress. Stress is another factor that could lead to poor posture. As you get tired, your body begins to slouch, this leads to strains that are not good for your spine.

• Always, always employ correct lifting techniques when carrying loads. Do not carry a load that is too heavy alone. (More on this in the next article)
• Adequate breaks should be introduced at work. During these breaks, employees should get up and move around a bit, flex fingers and muscles were necessary.
• As much as possible, employers should make the work environment ergonomically friendly by providing good furniture, machinery and a well-designed workplace. Employees should learn and take the knowledge home. If we all keep spreading good knowledge, the world will be a better place.
• Training! Training!! Training!!! Employees should be trained on safe ways of performing tasks, correct posture, using display screen equipment and proper lifting techniques.
• Reporting. Once you notice you’re experiencing pain and discomfort inform your employer so that structures are put in place to eliminate or reduce the cause. Contact your physiotherapist, they are experienced in recommending lifestyle changes and exercises that can boost your overall well-being.

It’s important to take care of yourself to boost your performance at work and to save you and your family from avoidable sadness.

Sometimes when people hear this question, they think of fire extinguishers and safety hats. There’s a whole lot more to safety than that as we would get to see. No one wants to leave a workplace worse than when they got the job. Safety in the workplace is ensuring that workers leave work as whole as they entered, no broken bones and no health challenges (cancer, back pain, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) etc.) We understand that some jobs entertain certain risks but that is why we are here to help you navigate your risks and reduce them as much as is reasonably practicable.

Safety in the workplace would start from answering basic questions such as: how many exits are available? Is there proper ventilation and lighting? Is the work station properly arranged? How comfortable and convenient are the seats available for the duration of employee’s stay per day? Is there access to drinking water, toilet facilities etc? How is rest period decided? Is there a safe way of performing the job? Is it being followed?

These questions may seem sort of  easy until we get to the part of emergency response procedures where we would need to answer questions such as: What are the procedures in the case of a fire incident? Are fire extinguishers available? Who would be the firefighters? Where is the muster point? What actions are employees expected to take? Or in the case of a medical emergency: Is there a first aid kit? Who are the first aiders? Are they sufficiently trained? What is the contact details of the primary health care centre? There is a whole lot more of such questions, some are general while others are more specific to the particular workplace.

One might think “God forbid”, ” It’s not my portion” but really, whose portion is it? Inasmuch as we are in a religious part of the world, we still need to play our part to keep our businesses safe. Remember, it’s only if the business exists that there is a chance to turn a profit. More so, people would be more likely to work with a safe business than one known for broken bones and various ailments.

Today, ask yourself, Is my  business/workplace safety compliant?

In the Igbo language (one of the major languages in Nigeria), Ulomka means my home is better. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary,  home means the house you live in especially with your family. That is a good definition but for the purpose of this blog and company at large, your home is wherever you spend a considerable length of time. Based on this definition, your body is your first home, then your house, your workplace and the roads for those who live in big and busy cities like Lagos in Nigeria.

You might wonder why the body or the road is being considered. The way we treat or behave in these homes for certain hours daily, weekly, monthly and yearly would to a large extent determine the quality of our health and safety in the future (next hour, day, week or year).

For the body: How often do you drink water? Do you exercise? Do you eat right? Do you maintain the correct posture? For the home: Do you turn off electrical equipment when not in use? Do you rest well? Do you have a good mattress? Do you maintain a good posture while standing, sitting or lying down? Is your home properly ventilated? Where is the generator located? Many have died from generator fumes. For the workplace: Are there emergency procedures at work? Do you know what to do in the event of a fire? How is your workstation arranged?  Does your sitting posture make you slouch? For the roads: Is there a serviceable fire extinguisher in your car? How do you sit in a vehicle considering long duration in traffic? Are the lights and brakes of the vehicle working effectively?

Whatever we do continuously becomes a habit over time and it has its effects either positive or negative. When we embrace positive habits, we  become more safety conscious in our various homes. Only then can we confidently say our home is better than the next.

Is your home better than mine?