Happy New Year!

Welcome to the Special Safety Report with The Safety Chic. You are ready for 2020, right? Did you create a personal Safety Plan? Safety plan, you might ask. Yes, a personal safety plan is important because what gets planned, gets done.

So I will be sharing with you on how to up your 2020 safety game.

Assessment of 2019

If you have no idea of what has happened before, how will you know how to forge ahead intentionally? Take some time to assess if you had an injury in 2019, got involved in a “minor” safety incident say a knife cut in the kitchen or a major safety incident say your child fell from the stairs or you experienced a fire. Assess the location, was it at home or the workplace. Assess the actors involved, was it you, a child, a colleague, neighbour or a random person you heard about on the news. I believe you are recalling some incidents. What could you have done differently? How could better outcomes be achieved?

Get Safety Training

You must have noticed from the various scenarios that flashed through your mind that someone didn’t make the right decision because they didn’t know better. This is where safety training comes in. Do you need to know how to fight a fire if it starts in the kitchen? Do you need to know how to carry out a risk assessment in your workplace? Do you need to know how to set up a safety system in your school? Do you need to know how administer first aid? As a matter of fact, everyone needs to know how to administer basic first aid. We should no longer hear cases of people dying from choking or people dying because no one on the scene could do CPR. Therefore, add getting a relevant safety training to your 2020 plans. There are aspects I can train you on and there others where I’m happy to recommend other service providers to you.

Invest in serviceable safety equipment

Emphasis here is on serviceable. Many times people buy safety equipment without being conscious of expiration dates or if it’s working appropriately. This is a recipe for disaster if you find out the equipment doesn’t work on the day an emergency happens. Whenever we talk about safety equipment, the first thing that comes to mind to most people is a fire extinguisher. There are other safety equipment. What you will need is largely dependent on the risks you’re exposed to. Therefore, discuss with a safety professional.

Get involved in drills

What you practice gets internalized faster and you will remember in an emergency because you have interacted with the scenario. Recently, during a shooting scare in a foreign country, a girl was able to provide a safe place for her classmates. When her father was interviewed, he mentioned that the children seemed so organised that he thinks they must have done a lot of drills in their schools. Also, I have personally received testimonials from people who took part in practical sessions in our safety training who used their new knowledge to save the lives of complete strangers. Drills make you confident on how to act even in the face of danger.

Become a safety advocate

It is great to know how to act in an emergency but what happens if you are the only one with that knowledge and a safety incident occurs in your absence? The action or inaction of others can affect your own safety. Therefore, you have a role to share knowledge with others and correct them when you see them making an unsafe choice. Do not be afraid to be termed a “busybody” and you keep quiet when you see things going wrong. As you already know, evil thrives when good men and women keep silent

I hope this has been helpful to you? It is not a totally exhaustive list but with these few foundation tips, you would be able to build a great personal safety plan for 2020.

#TheSafetyChic

Intentionally grooming a safety conscious generation

After a kidnap has occurred family and loved ones go through a difficult phase. Fear of the unknown, fear of the future, worry about death and well-being of kidnapped person. Unfortunately, we the sympathisers tend to contribute with our quest for more information, subtle and direct accusation and our acts of concern and kindness.

So your child, brother, sister, father, mother, uncle, aunty, friend has been kidnapped, what can you do?

Feel your emotion

It’s alright to feel anger, fear and grief. However, you need to find the right ways to express your emotions to avoid transferred aggression. Take time to step back from the stress of the situation. This might be tough but you need to be deliberate otherwise you will get overwhelmed by your emotions and that of others. Little things like taking a walk, talking with a trusted person can be helpful.

Take charge

Get involved in activities that can help the kidnapped person. Yes, you are upset and grieving so channel all that emotion to something productive. Cooperate with security agencies and give them as much information as possible. Help to create awareness about the situation within your circle of influence: church, work, social media. You need to be strong and mentally ready to do this so you would need to eat and take care of yourself. Do not allow the situation make you forget to take care of yourself. You need to be fit for the task ahead.

Avoid the blame game

You might blame yourself for the situation. There will also be others who would be blaming you or having various opinions as regards the situation. Stay away from the blame game. It does not help you and you absolutely do not need negative energy around you now.

Your faith

Most times people draw strength from their faith and religion ordinarily.  In this situation, your faith would give you some comfort as you navigate this trying phase. Studies have shown that people who pray more tend to have higher confidence levels in traumatic situations. Embrace the peace and solace derived here.

Now you know a bit more about kidnapping, here’s how you can reduce its likelihood:  

Be proactive

Prevention is the key. Most times we are reactive to situations and this is not really effective. Since we are aware there is a problem, then the next thing should be how we can protect ourselves before anything happens. So we need to develop a plan of action and procedures for emergency and crisis situation most especially in schools and families. Training children on what to look out for, who to avoid, how to call attention to themselves if abducted and how to escape will keep them prepared You could also get devices that can keep track of your movement.

Situational awareness

Always be alert in your environment and know what is going on. Most times we are preys because we are not paying attention to suspicious movement around us. Wherever you find yourself whether lonely places or public spaces you need to be alert. Most times, we advise kids but we ourselves do not pay attention. We also need to be wary when strange people come into our environment.

Mind your appearance

Some of us make ourselves prey to these things unknowingly by our behaviour. Do not carry around large sums of money or flaunt flashy jewellery. When you leave work, take off your ID card as you do not want to inadvertently give out information. Avoid clothes with your name on it. Of course you should look good but apply moderation in all things.

Personal safety equipment

Invest in GPS enabled devices as they could pinpoint your location in unfavourable situations. There are different trends to suit your need or lifestyle. Improvise in your choice of safety tools, they can disarm your kidnapper e.g. sprays.

Self-defense knowledge might seem sort of extreme but it is handy. Remember your focus is to disarm your attacker enough to escape.

Last but not the least, if you realise you are being taken, make a show while you still have the chance. Scream, flail your arms, anything to get the attention of others to your situation.

Image credit: www.personaldefenseworld.com, www.africanspotlight.com, www.google,com

This Summer, we have been at 3 Summer schools.

1. Redeemed Christian Church of God, Rivers of Joy Parish, Maryland, Lagos

2. Slum2School, Makoko, Yaba, Lagos

3. Anifa Preparatory Center, Illupeju, Lagos

It’s been an interesting time sharing knowledge on road safety, first aid, fire safety tips and personal safety with the kids. We look forward to doing more.

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

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.

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?