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

We tend to think that hearing problems only occur when we work in noisy environments or with age. However, we are constantly exposed to various levels of noise in the course of our day: blaring horns, work equipment, sound of heavy machinery, life style choices (use of earphones at extreme volume levels, closeness to speakers at parties), loudspeakers on street corners, markets, churches etc. Noise could be defined as an unwanted sound but the loudness could be a problem whether we want it or not.

Deepak Prasher, a professor of audiology at University College in London and a member of the WHO Noise Environmental Burden on Disease working group, states, “Many people become habituated to noise over time… The biological effects are imperceptible, so that even as you become accustomed to the noise, adverse physiological changes are nevertheless taking place, with potentially serious consequences to human health”.

There are jobs you would never get if your ears aren’t in good shape. But, it’s not about jobs alone, our ears are important to our overall well-being. Negative health effects on the ears could either be immediate or occur over a period. Health effects could vary from temporary or permanent hearing loss, annoyance, hypertension, heart problems, tinnitus etc. Hence, there is need to sensitize ourselves and others as elevated noise levels could lead to stress and increase in workplace incidents and accidents.

The environment is noisy if:

• You have to raise your voice to be heard
• You get headaches or feel dizzy
• You experience ringing ears after leaving the environment
• You have a challenge with hearing normal conversation after work

At this point, you need to call the attention of necessary authority. Control measures need to be introduced into the environment whether at work or in daily life. For the workplace, total elimination of noise, reduction of noise, shift duty, provision of hearing protection could reduce negative effects of noise on our bodies. For daily life, making wholesome choices could improve our well-being. Always use earphones at reduced volumes, stay away from loud speakers at events, reduce the volume of music players in cars and reduce the amount of time you’re exposed to the noise.

Visit your doctor and get an audiogram. Know your ear status and guard it jealously.

“As soon as you see a mistake and don’t fix it, it becomes your mistake”. ~Author Unknown

You’ve perceived your workplace/business is not safety compliant but you have no clue on the next step. As an employee, you might ponder on leaving matters as they are because it’s a tough world out there without a job. Or as a business owner, you think it is either too expensive or beyond your scope.

Pause.

It is important to be alive and in good health to have a source of income as your body is your first tool. You are important to someone and would be irreplaceable if you are gone.

You need to realise your importance in order for you to take necessary action. Safety is the responsibility of both employer and employee. The employer is responsible for providing a safe place of work. The employee is responsible for complying with laid down rules and reporting lapses in the system. As an employee in a workplace that isn’t safety compliant, it might not be that the employer is heartless rather a case of ignorance. Therefore,  you need to acquire more information.

The Regulators

In all countries there are regulators and legislations that back up health, safety and the environment to ensure protection of all. In Nigeria, there are different regulators with different portfolios namely:

1. Ministry of Labour and Productivity
2. Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)
3. National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA)
4. Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv)
5. National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)
6. Lagos State Safety Commission
7. Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)

What to do?

Arm yourself with knowledge

As an employee/employer you need to find out more about health and safety in the workplace. This blog is a source of information and there are other diverse sources online and in libraries. In Nigeria, the Factory Act (1987, 1990, 2004) is the major legislation that backs up health and safety issues. It covers cleanliness of the workplace, ventilation, lighting, overcrowding, safe use of machinery, use of protective clothing and equipment, provision of drinking water, investigation of incidents and accidents, penalties etc. More detailed information can be found on www.ilo.org

Share newly acquired knowledge

After getting more information, make it go viral. We share jokes, music, pictures why not something that could save our lives? It is possible that there are safety procedures written somewhere but not being complied with. Encourage others through information sharing on the benefits of compliance.

We must remind that a good manner of approach goes a long way here. Do not go confrontational to your boss. Speak politely, show pictures ( we have loads on our various social media platforms) and articles, share contact details of qualified personnel that can help, strike peaceful conversations with your colleagues (remember, it’s not a revolution), ask questions on what should be done in certain hypothetical situations, invite qualified personnel to speak to your staff etc.

Be intentional about your habits

They say practice makes perfect. You might not be used to following safety rules or laid down work procedures, however the good news is, if you make a conscious effort, it becomes a part of you.

Avoid shortcuts in work activities, use personal protective equipment as required, comply with laid down procedures, report faulty equipment, only trained personnel should work on faulty equipment, observe good housekeeping ( a place for everything and everything in its place), ensure spills are mopped, correct co-workers and practice caution everywhere not just in the workplace.

Invite Us

The Ulomka team does not want people to get ill, injured, die on the job or lose investment that is why we help businesses input safety procedures to ensure safe work and reduce loss of any kind. We offer a free general safety awareness training for staff of our clients. We could also provide more specialised training and develop safety procedures depending on the safety gaps in your system.

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?