Yearly Archives: 2013

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

HOW TO OVERCOME A COMMON HOME PROBLEM: WALL DAMPNESS (GUEST POST)

Interior designing has become a common practice for every household because people want their home to appear new and innovative for an enhanced living standard. For this reason, they invest in a huge sum of money to remodel their homes, but in some cases such as the one mentioned above, only expertise and a professional approach can do the home remodeling or renovation job perfectly. Walls are one of the important parts of your home and they require special attention while planning for your home renovation.
Damp Walls are a major issue for many American home-owners. In this article, we will highlight this problem and propose solutions to overcome it. Let us first discuss the common types of dampness for a better understanding of the issue.

1. Condensation Problem

Condensation basically refers to the water droplets visible on walls, windows or ceilings. It is caused mainly due to the moisture present in air. Warm air contains more moisture and hence the places which are badly ventilated have more chances of getting condensed. For instance, bathrooms and kitchens are prone to get affected from condensation.

2. Chinese Drywall Affect
Every American’s nightmare, the Chinese Drywall affect causes thousands of American homeowners to suffer from muscle aches, sinus attacks and other ailments. The Chinese Drywall imported from China in the 2001 contains a compound which emits sulfurous gases causing health problems and the corrosion of bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

3. Pipeline Leakage
Dampness of walls of a home can also be due to any leakage of pipelines or appliances such as washing machines or dish washers. At first, what may appear to be a small leak can become a major dampness issue if left unattended. Leakages can destruct the structure of your walls and can deform them.

4. Rising Wall Dampness
Just as a sponge soaks up the surrounding water, rising wall dampness is caused when water from the ground rises up through the bricks and they absorb this water and cause rising wall dampness. This water will keep rising unless no evaporation would be possible and gravity will take over and pulls it down again.

Rising damp mostly found below floor level, when water is absorbed by walls surface it starting displaying damp marks on walls. It occurs when the water from the ground rises up through bricks and as a result the water is sucked by the walls and cause dampness.

Guidelines to Overcome these problems:

1. Effective Ventilation and Heating System:
Having effective ventilation and heating systems can help you to get rid of the condensation problem and boost the life of your walls. Windows can also serve as a solution but installation of vents and extractor fans can help you to save your walls from becoming the victims of condensation.

2. Call for an Inspection
If you notice the signs of wall dampness in your home and you are sure that your home has become a victim of defective drywalls then it is time to call an inspection team to analyze and scrutinize the condition of your damp walls and other issues at your home. The home inspectors will detect the effect of dampness and Chinese drywall would charge you with half the price you would have to spend for remodeling your house later.

3. Hire Plumbing Service
In order to fix any leakages or cracks in your pipes it is necessary to get professional help. Only excellent plumbing services will make sure that you don’t have any leakages in future to avoid getting your walls damp again.

Author Bio:
Christina Fusano is a blogger by passion and content writer for Chinese Drywall Advisors, offering reliable Chinese drywall inspection services to homeowners.

Fall Safety

WORKING FROM HEIGHTS: SAFETY REQUIREMENTS TO ADHERE TO WHEN ROOFING (GUEST POST)

Any roofing job has an element of risk involved. With one in five deaths within the construction industry being attributed to roof work, precautions have to be taken to ensure the safety of both staff members and the general public.

Before any work is undertaken, a full risk assessment should be carried out. It is a legal requirement that all work at height is extensively planned. Workers should be sufficiently trained for the task which they are about to undertake. A method statement is the most common way of organising and controlling roof work.  Contractors should liaise closely with the client in order to make arrangements about the work.

The most common cause of accidents, both fatal and nonfatal, when it comes to roof work are falls from roof edges or openings. The majority of accidents could be avoided if the person undertaking the work were:

Properly trained – Properly equipped – Properly supervised

It is important that the work area can be accessed safely and easily. All access points, be they scaffolds, ladders or otherwise, must be attached securely. For both sloping and flat roof projects, edge protection must be fitted to prevent accidents due to people or objects falling.

Working on fragile roofs means a lot more precautions have to be taken. All work surfaces should be assumed to be fragile until a competent professional has declared them safe.  Any roof made from sheet material should not be trusted to bear a worker’s weight.  When working on a fragile surface, fall arrest devices such as harnesses should be used to ensure workers’ safety.

The area surrounding the building you are working on should be cordoned off to make sure no members of the public are hit by falling debris. If it isn’t feasible to clear the area then other measures, such as suspended nets or guard railing should be installed for the duration of the work.

Working at height can be dangerous and as a result it is important that all the correct steps are taken and workers strictly adhere to safety policies.

Does anyone have anything else to add in regard to roof safety?

This piece was written by Mark Enright, a writer for http://www.beddardroofing.co.uk/Beddard Roofing specialist contractors.

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues

FACTS ABOUT MOST ESSENTIAL CAR SAFETY PRODUCTS (GUEST POST)

There are many types of products for car safety and security. When it is about the safety of car, you cannot risk the safety factor. There are many things that ensure ones safety in a vehicle. Seat belts are one of the most important parts of a vehicle. It has been proved after numerous experimentations that seat belts ensure maximum safety in a person’s life. Adjustable upper belts ensure better positioning with respect to the person’s size. The adjustable belts might encourage more and more people to wear seat belts, since they ensure that they enjoy more comfort than the usual ones.

Pretensioners: Another exemplifying part of seat belts are pretensioners. Now, you might be thinking how does a pretensioner can help you to get safety? The answer is that pretensioners help a seat belt to retract for removing excess amounts of slack in an instantaneous moment, especially when you are in an accident.

Management Features: During severe and critical accidents, energy management features ensures that seat belt yields to prevent pressure from the shoulder straps to concentrate on areas like the chest. They are present in the form of load limiters  built within the shoulder belt retractors and allow it to extend in need.

There are many vehicle safety product manufacturing companies that come with different types of products. Now, some of the manufacturing companies equip seat belts with center lap option or an additional shoulder belt. This added feature is very valuable for children to maintain their booster seats and when they are made to seat in the rear center position.

Air Bags: One of the main reasons which inflicts maximum amount of damage to a person when they do come across accidents is hitting with the front dashboards. Now, there are many different ways in which a person can prevent from getting hit with it and one of them is seat belt and another efficient one is air bags.

 Side airbags always make sure that you don’t get hit when a car gets hit from the side. But, don’t think that with air bag products, you can say bye to seat belts. No way. Actually air bags work efficiently when your seat belts are in the right position. It is always necessary to keep about a certain distance between children and air bags.

Head Injury Protection

Usually, when an accident occurs, people do suffer from tremendous head injuries. Now, for head protection, special kinds of equipments are manufactured, such as energy absorbing material or foam. You can always opt for head air bags, which significantly absorb the speedy movements and ensure that the head received minimum blow from the surroundings.

Conclusion

There are many ways in which a person can ensure maximum safety inside a vehicle. There are pet animal and child seat options. Buy car seats that absorb maximum adverse jerks and speedy movements. It is also essential that you keep a safety emergency kit with yourself to ensure that you attend to any sort of injury right after the affected collision.

Alex Mathew is a proficient author writing articles on car safety product, safety product and other similar topics. He contributes regularly for Well maintained used vehicles safety product. 

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Protective Clothing, Respiratory Safety

PREVENT WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS WITH FIRE SAFETY EQUIPMENT AND PROPER TRAINING (GUEST POST)

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While the majority of workplace accident claims lead to minor injuries, fire can cause devastation. Protecting a business premises against fire will not just improve the health and safety of employees – it will also protect the general public, the emergency services and the owners of adjacent properties.

Clearwater Solicitors can help you make a workplace accident claim if you have been injured or if a loved one has lost their life as a result of a fire at work, but businesses should put all reasonably practicable steps in place to ensure fire does not harm their workforce. Businesses should have fire drills and training in place to deal with fires when they arise, and should invest in equipment to warn them of fires and help them to combat them if possible.

–          Fire training and drills

All new staff should be trained in what to do in the event of a fire as soon as they start work, and if new equipment or methods of work lead to unexpected risks, staff should be told about these hazards. Businesses should hold at least one fire drill every year and keep a record of their results.

Businesses must ensure that every escape route has a clear passageway – some accident at work claims involve slips and trips during fire drills or in actual fires. Escape routes should be direct, short, and have enough room for everyone to get through, and staff should be provided with a safe meeting point.

Ensuring escape routes are safe could require the use of emergency lighting and emergency doors, and businesses will have to consider which solutions are right for them. Companies are also obliged to make special provisions for wheelchair users and other people with mobility problems – this could involve selecting people to help wheelchair users get downstairs if there is a fire.

–          Fire equipment

Companies can significantly reduce their likelihood of facing accident at work compensation claims by investing in fire detection equipment, The type of equipment suitable for a particular business and the location of this equipment will depend on a variety of factors, but warning systems and detection systems will be essential.

Fire fighting equipment is also recommended, however, the correct equipment for each individual company will depend on the type of business it is and the building it is in. Staff should be trained in how to use this equipment when necessary.

All fire detection, prevention, warning and fighting equipment must be properly installed, well maintained and regularly tested.

Importance of fire safety

Every business must ensure its fire safety procedures are effective and suitable for their particular requirements, and must regularly assess and update these procedures to deal with emerging risks or new employees. When businesses fail to protect the wellbeing of their workforce effectively, they can find themselves facing accident at work compensation claims, or being prosecuted in court due to health and safety regulation breaches.

If you are unsure about the fire safety procedures in your business, then speak to an expert consultant before it is too late. 

Karl Johnson works alongside unions and health and safety representatives to drive down the number of injuries compensation claims and accidents at work. He lives in Suffolk with three dogs and two cats, and enjoys playing Rugby with his friends, strumming out songs on his acoustic guitar, and listening to classic rock or Radio 4.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

HEALTH & SAFETY REDUCES WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS – AND IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS! (GUEST POST)

Paying attention to health and safety can protect a business’ bottom-line. In the newspapers, there are regularly stories about “Health and Safety Gone Mad,” but in many cases it turns out is not health and safety to blame for the problem in the article, but is due to other factors, such as insurance policies, or overzealous ‘jobsworths’, or workers lying about safety regulations due to laziness or incompetence.

In reality, health and safety should be a benefit for businesses, and not just because it prevents accident at work compensation claims. Occupational cancer costs the UK’s economy £30 billion every year, and workplace accident claims or industrial disease claims are responsible for a huge number of missed working days.

 Prosecutions or enforcement notices can cost businesses a fortune, but investing in health and safety counts for more than just avoiding these expenses. The Health and Safety Executive estimates businesses have to pay out between eight and thirty-six times as much money as insurers following accident at work compensation claims.

Major workplace accident claims can easily spell the end of a business – fires, explosions or the death of workers can be impossible for firms to fully recover from. Employers who lose a member of staff in fatal workplace accidents caused by negligence will undoubtedly experience emotional difficulties, including guilt and anxiety, and this can be very hard to cope with.

 Businesses can spend years building up worker morale, only to have their efforts ruined because of a personal injury leading to an accident at work compensation claim. If workers feel like they are not safe in their employment, they will be unhappy, and if they regularly take time off because of avoidable injuries, or have to continue working while injured, they could become irritated by the negligence they are subjected to.

Strong leadership and positive business management prevents accidents at work

Providing strong leadership on health and safety issues, and integrating them into the rest of a management system, can inspire workers and help to maintain a positive safety culture. Personal injury claims can also be avoided by developing good communication, supporting employees when whistleblowing and enabling people to discuss workplace safety confidently.

Not all businesses are supportive of whisletleblowing – the large-scale construction industry in particular has been found to blacklist whisleblowers, although many medical negligence claims could be somewhat due to a ‘culture of silence’ within the NHS.

However, maintaining strong management and handling whistleblowers in a supportive manner can make all the difference to workplace health and safety and help to avoid accident at work compensation claims.

Health and safety should be a part of every aspect of a company, from human resources, to environment, to management, to personnel development. It is worth considering health and safety throughout a business’ operations – it is not just good for business, it is essential.

Most companies should be able to implement effective health and safety in-house; those that cannot could consider hiring consultancy services to help them.

Hellen Geek has worked alongside professional indemnity insurance firms when deciding the total value of clinical negligence claims and http://www.clearwatersolicitors.co.uk/personal-injury/accidents-at-work/accident at work compensation. She is passionate about raising standards in hospitals and other healthcare settings, and supporting doctors as well as patients. She lives in Somerset and loves the beautiful fields and farms around her small cottage.

General Safety Issues

PRECAUTIONS FOR KEEPING YOUR SMART PHONE DATA SAFE (GUEST POST)

Keeping your smartphone safe has become a great challenge for the users – it is not just one item that needs to be secured, in fact it is a lot more. The contents inside the phone are more valuable than the phone itself – losing a phone means that you have lost all your information and data – if fallen in wrong hands can be misused and can be a potential threat to your security. For example, apps like OVI or Google maps reveal lots of information about the user – they can give the details of your residence, your current location and your past travels.

External and Internal threats

Smartphones face threats in various forms, including threat to the device, infiltration in the software. This form of threat is more vicious, as the user gain access to the deep secrets of the information stored in the phone. Easiest way of obtaining data is by installing a cell phone spy or a keylogger into the phone, from where data can be accessed and information can be breached.

The most obvious way of securing both your phone as well as all the data stored in it, is by protecting it physically – make sure it doesn’t get lost or gets into the hands of a dodgy person. Such precautions could make it harder for the intruder to gain access to your information on your phone from a remote stand point, but if the phone lands in hands of a thief then there is absolute threat to the user.

Phone lock – old, but useful technique

Assume that your phone has been stolen and your entire data is at the mercy of the thief. How will you save yourself from being harassed and threatened? The only option that works in this scenario is phone lock. It works much like the keypad lock in symbian phones – the cell phone lock in smartphone comes into action when the phone is left idle for some time. A password or code is set to unlock the cell phone and make the functions active – the phone lock system is available on every smart phone operating system, however, the lock depends on the type of phone software. iPhone require four digit code to unlock the device, on Android phones a password is assigned, based on a pattern of 3×3 grid and Blackberry sets a unique password.

Remote wipe comes in handy

Remote wipe is another useful device which comes in handy when the phone is already stolen. Between the times the phone has been stolen and thief trying to unlock the phone, remote wipe will come to rescue. Through remote wipe you can wipe of all data from your smartphone if it goes missing – this will delete contacts, messages, pictures and almost all the data stored in the device. The flip side to this precaution is that if you manage to find your phone back, you would have lost all your precious data. The only consolation is that your data is safe from getting into the hands of dodgy people.

Sent to us by Natalia David.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

SAFE DIET MEALS FOR WORKING MEN AND WOMEN (GUEST POST)

Losing weight has become an obsession for most people these days. Due to pressures at work, exhaustion or lack of time to hit the gym, most working men and women have a hard time keeping fit. As a result, most men and women resort to diet meal plans circulating these days in order to maintain a certain figure. Little do they know that some diet plans may be unhealthy thereby doing more harm than good in the body. 

What constitutes a safe and healthy meal plan? 

To avoid falling into the trap, keep in mind that a healthy diet plan should provide all the necessary nutrients needed by your body and at the same time, staying within the recommended daily calories. Your body still needs carbohydrates, protein, fiber and an amount of fat to keep you energized all throughout the day. In fact, eliminating a certain group in the food pyramid can be harmful to the body. 

Therefore, a safe and healthy eating plan is concentrated on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and low-fat dairy products. Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs and a little cholesterol, salt and sugar are likewise recommended. 

To better guide every working men and women, below are some foods you can use to have a healthy and fit body. 

Breakfast 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so you’re going to need all the nutrients to help you last all throughout the day. For breakfast, make sure you have – 

  • ·         Eggs.
  • ·         Carbohydrates in the form of whole grains. This includes oatmeal, cereals, brown rice, brown or wheat pasta or whole wheat bread.
  • ·         Fruits or vegetables on the side such as orange, banana or apple.
  • ·         Low or nonfat dairy products. This includes milk, cheese or yogurt.
  • ·         Lean meat since it is a good source of protein which can keep you pumped up the whole day. Lean meat can be turkey, chicken, salmon, fish or loin products. 

Lunch 

Meals during lunch shouldn’t be as heavy as breakfast food. Nonetheless, you will still need carbohydrates and protein for added energy since your day isn’t over yet. Go for whole grain products such as whole wheat bread or crackers and combine it with lean products. It can be a turkey sandwich or a smoked salmon sandwich with unsweetened drink on the side. Don’t forget to have some fruits too such as apple or banana. 

Snacks 

You are after a safe and healthy meal plan to help you on your diet and snacks shouldn’t compromise your weight loss goals. Avoid going for sweets, processed products or junk foods just to keep you awake. Fruits such as banana or cantaloupe, nuts, a cup of yogurt with fruits, an ounce of sunflower seeds, roasted almonds are much better and can help boost your energy rather than processed and unhealthy ones. 

Dinner 

As the saying goes, eat like a pauper during dinner since there is not much enough time to burn off all the calories you had. Still, skipping dinner is not advisable. Nonetheless, it’s a must to have carbohydrates such as a cup of brown rice or whole wheat dinner roll. Protein is likewise needed and broiled salmon; grilled loin steak can be consumed. Cap off your meal with steamed vegetables and a cup of fat-free milk. 

It’s up to you on how you want to spice your everyday meal. Always remember that in every meal plan, make sure you have carbohydrates, protein, fiber and a little amount of fat. As much as possible, do not eliminate any food group and eat in moderation. 

Author Bio: 

Marshal Gatlin is a health & fitness enthusiast. He reviews commercial diet plans like Diet To Go. Through Ratingdietplans.com he strives to help everyone achieve their fitness and weight loss goals and provide access to the information and education they need to do to so.

General Safety Issues

GREAT IDEAS TO REDUCE WORK-RELATED STRESS (GUEST POST)

If you ask any employed person today, they are bound to say that they are stressed. While a little bit of stress is desirable, a lot of it and consistent quantities of it isn’t good for a person’s health, wellbeing or productivity. But did you know that reducing work-related stress isn’t that hard. Here are a few tips that can help you reduce work stress very easily.

Let the Serenity Prayer be your work mantra

The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr which is widely used by AA and other rehab/support programs has people asking God to grant them the power to change what they can and to accept what they cannot. For someone trying to reduce work stress, it can be a powerful mantra. Most work related stress is caused by inter-office dynamics and one’s relationship between co-workers. If you chant the Serenity Prayer or have it stuck to your workstation, you would be able to learn to mentally distance yourself from negative, stress causing thoughts, events and people.

Don’t take too much on your plate

Have you ever run on a treadmill that was set at a speed beyond what your body can endure? We’re guessing not and the reason behind doing so is that we all know the limits of our body very well. But most of us tend to take on too much work trying to get ahead in our careers. This is the single biggest contributor to work related stress in employees. Even if you are the best at everything, learn to delegate, to be a team player and to say no to tasks when you just don’t have the time or energy to do them.

Multi-task only when you absolutely need to

Multi-tasking has been revered as the career-minded person’s mantra to success. Unfortunately, it is also a great contributor to stress. Just like you cannot write on two different pages with both your hands at the same time without making grave mistakes on both pages, multi-tasking at work too reduces the amount of focus you can provide to every task that try to do at the same time. In fact, when you devote all your attention to a single task, you get it done more effectively, efficiently, in less time and with a lot less stress.

Use a day planner

Trying to remember all the things you need to get through a work day while actually doing all those tasks will leave your brain in a mush. It will also keep you on your toes all day long needlessly. A great way to reduce time management related stress is to simply use a day planner to chalk out all the work that you need to get done in a day. Remember to include the time you might use up in breaks and commutes and you would be able to spare yourself the heartache of trying to get work done while remembering all the things that you need to do.

Don’t bring work home

Most employers wouldn’t look too kindly upon it if you brought your laundry to work and tried to get it done during a meeting with clients. Just like bringing your home chores to work wouldn’t be a great idea, bringing work home also isn’t good. You need to remember that a good home life is essential to keeping you feeling emotionally satisfied which as we all know is key to optimizing productivity at work. Use your time at home to take a break from work and you will find yourself refreshed and enthusiastic about getting work done the next day.

Socialize every day of the work week

A lot of us don’t like the people that we work with and many of us complain that our work takes up so much time that we hardly ever get to see our family and friends. Socializing, however, helps ease the buildup of stress by releasing serotonin and endorphins aka the happiness hormones.  When you socialize, you not only get a mental break from the work that you were doing, you also get to vocalize your stress and release it while the proximity to people you like helps you relax and feel refreshed. Hence, a 10 minute coffee run with a colleague you like, meeting up with close friends for a sandwich during lunch time and even retreating to your special, secret “clubhouse” in the office building during coffee breaks with co-workers you’re friends with, can help you reduce work stress while allowing you to create a positive mental connection between working and feeling happy. 

 

This Post is written by Margaret. She is a writer/blogger. She writes articles on Technology, social media, WordPress, Gamification, luxury interior design, website development and online development etc. These days she contributes on punchh