Category Archives: Home Safety Products

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

4 Important Reasons for having a Fire Extinguisher in the Home

Did you know that there’s been 355,400 home fires between 2012 and 2016? These fires caused 11,670   injuries, 2,560 deaths, and $6.5 billion in damages. Only 75% of homes own a fire extinguisher, that when used correctly, could make the difference between a small flare-up or extensive damage and injuries.

Now, let’s look at 4 important reasons for having a fire extinguisher in the home.

1. Cooking Fires are a Large Cause of Injuries
About 65% of home fires were from home cooking. More than half of cooking fire injuries happened when people tried to fight the fire themselves.

The type of fire extinguisher for the kitchen are either a combined A-B-C Class, or a specific one like K Class for grease and oil fires. These are best stored on a wall or under the sink for easy and quick access. Don’t mount it next to the stove, you don’t want to reach through the flames to grab it.

2. The Garage is Where the Majority of Fires Start
The garage can hold some pretty flammable material – paint, gasoline, solvents and other hazardous items. For many homes the garage is where the washer and dryer are located as well. Over 93% of home fires started in the garage and accountsfor an average of 30 deaths a year and are the most destructive.

The best type of extinguisher to keep in the garage is again a combination A-B-C class. Get the largest size you can handle easily to help extinguish larger fires or in a bigger space. Remember to store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources.

3. You need Clear Escape Routes
You and your family should have an escape route plan in place for any time there’s a fire.  It’s best to have several alternate routes in case of fire obstruction.

Next, you should have one extinguisher on each floor of your home to help clear your escape path. Remember to keep the extinguisher free of clutter, you don’t want to be moving stuff in order to reach it. Don’t try and fight large spreading fires – a good rule of thumb is if the fire is taller than you, it’s best to get out another way.

4. Sources of Heat are High Risk Areas
What do I mean by “sources of heat”? Here’s a few:
⦁ Fireplace
⦁ Wood or Pellet stove
⦁ Laundry room (dryer)
⦁ Electrical Panels
⦁ Furnace
The combination of electrical parts and heat is a sure opportunity of a fire happening. Again, do not store them right next to the heat source, at least 30 feet away is a good gauge for safety.

Conclusion
Everyone should learn how to use a fire extinguisher properly and efficiently, otherwise you defeat the purpose of owning one.

Remember though, these fire extinguishers work best on contained fires – a cooking pot, a wastebasket, an appliance, and such. Fires spread quickly, so if a fire is spreading quickly in your home, it’s best to get out quickly and wait for the fire department.

For more information on fire extinguishers or fire safety contact us – All Florida Fire Equipment.

About the Author:
Tracy Stine is a freelance writer, an online sign language tutor, and a disability advocate.

For more information on fire extinguishers or fire safety contact – All Florida Fire Equipment.
General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

Minimising Risk to Hotel Housekeepers

Written by Lucy Atkinson

Housekeeping is often underappreciated and the role considered to be ‘entry level’, but housekeepers have one of the higher risk jobs in the hospitality sector and there are many things they need to consider while carrying out their duties.

Overlooking these risks can lead to poor training and health and safety management, leaving businesses vulnerable to the consequences of accidents in the workplace. Staff shortages and fines levied as a result of breaches of health and safety legislation are just two potential outcomes that could cause havoc within your organisation.

Hazards to Consider

Housekeepers generally perform the same tasks as we do when keeping our own houses, and perhaps that’s why we mistakenly believe housekeeping is a low risk role. However, if we look at the challenges faced by many housekeepers daily, we start to appreciate why they need a comprehensive health and safety system in place.

Listed below are some of the risks that housekeepers face each day. We’ve gone into greater detail regarding the use of chemicals, manual handling, language barriers and contamination.

  • Spillages
  • Asbestos
  • Lifts
  • Uneven surfaces
  • Working at heights
  • Vehicle movement
  • Lone working
  • Electrics
  • Violence
  • Confined spaces
  • Window safety
  • Legionella

Chemicals – cleaning requires the use of various chemicals, exposing housekeepers to the risk of chemical burns or the ill-effects of exposure to harmful fumes. Furthermore, in a hospitality environment bathrooms are rarely well ventilated, with little in the way of fresh airflow. As such, products must be selected with care to ensure the best standards of hygiene whilst mitigating risk. Housekeepers should have the chemicals safety data sheet to hand to ensure they have access to relevant information regarding proper use, and should be equipped with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They should also have access to up-to-date emergency contacts and procedures.

Manual handling – with many hotels now switching to heavier mattresses, each bed change is one closer to an injury, as each corner of a mattress must be lifted to change a sheet or tuck in a cover. Housekeepers must receive proper manual handling training to prevent injury, as such injuries can leave hotels short-staffed in an area where staffing levels are critical. Manual handling also comes into play when cleaning detached accommodation with stairs, where cleaning equipment may need to be carried between rooms.

Language barriers – employers are now engaging a more diverse workforce and are attracting many different nationalities. This leaves room for planned methods to get lost in translation. When employees move away from company procedures, the risk of an accident or incident increases significantly. To overcome language barriers employers must put in place a universal system, for example using colour coding equipment, adopting pictograms and showing training videos to employees. Software solutions often provide translation tools to increase understanding in the workplace for all staff.

Contamination – we don’t like to think about it but a housekeeper may be exposed to various bodily fluids whilst cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms, and they should be properly trained to observe appropriate handwashing techniques and ensure that they use gloves when required.

It’s the Law!

Workplace safety in developed nations such as the United States, Canada, and much of the European Union is more deep-rooted than in other regions of the world. The rest of the world can be divided into three additional categories:

  • Developing nations
  • Third World nations
  • Those countries that have regions or companies that span all three categories

Health and safety laws of some kind are in place in most countries, and these laws typically set out a framework for the duty of care which employers have towards employees and members of the public, and employees have to themselves and to each other.

The common global approach to management of health and safety at work frequently adopts the following steps to review workplace risks:

  • Step 1: Identify the hazards
  • Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how
  • Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on control measures
  • Step 4: Record your findings
  • Step 5: Review your assessment and update as and when necessary

Using Risk Assessments

Engage your staff, involve them, empower them! Unfortunately, too many people waste hours creating and maintaining perfectly compliant risk assessments before putting them back in a folder to sit and wait until the next review date.

Your employees need to have seen and understood the risk assessments you have in place. They need to be able to access the control measures the risk assessment identifies for them, whether that’s a one-week training course in Dubai or providing them with access to a pair of latex gloves. Creating a risk assessment document alone will not protect you should your methods come under scrutiny by your health and safety governing bodies.

More Staff Training

In most developed countries an employer has a legal duty to provide a safe working environment for their employees, and they are responsible for ensuring that each staff member is adequately trained to carry out their role in a safe and competent manner.  The best way to manage risks within the workplace will always be effective training; ensuring employees know what they are supposed to be doing, how they should be doing it and who to inform if there is an issue. Trained staff are more efficient and consistent, they protect your brand by adhering to standards and they are less likely to have an accident in the workplace.  Evidence shows that having well-trained staff not only increases performance but also decreases staff attrition by empowering staff and making them feel valued.

Introducing a Competent Person (CP)

Nominate people as CPs for housekeepers to go to if they are unsure about something, and ensure your CPs are frequently trained and have access to tools and information to keep their knowledge current. Encourage your staff to give and receive feedback on methods and hazards in the workplace. Have an anonymous comments box and encourage staff to report anything that they feel could compromise safety.

Keep on Top of It!

Create deadlines and expiry dates, assign teams to review relevant documents and have one competent person sign off documents before distributing them to your team – consider using software to manage your health and safety, so you don’t have to manually manage your H&S updates. It may cost money, however it’s very likely that whichever solution you pick, it will cost less than any settlement of fine for breaches of health and safety regulations.

Think, Plan, Action

With forethought and careful planning you can turn housekeeping into a low-risk profession. If you don’t adopt this approach you risk facing the consequences of accidents in the workplace, which can include heavy fines, potentially damaging media coverage and potentially even the closure of your business.

Author Bio: 

Lucy Atkinson is a Business Support Analyst at CRAMS, where she is able to apply her passion for positive client and team engagement. A keen blogger through her teens, Lucy is delighted to now be able to blog professionally and considers this one of her favourite parts of her role.

CRAMS (Comprehensive Risk Assessed Method Statements), is a fully inclusive, cloud-based software solution for all things health and safety. It is the only solution to link risk assessed method statements to your people, places, events and training, providing a fully auditable and protective solution. The software also tracks staff training course completion and provides access to over 50 certified e-learning courses at no extra charge! CRAMS clients have a better H&S culture within the workplace, having been given the tools to be proactive in improving their own safety.

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

Here are a Few Tips to Keep Your Smoke Alarm Up and Running!

Written by Eada Hudes
Mishaps can happen anywhere and anytime. It can happen even when we are moderately cautious. Accidents come unannounced and catch us off-guard. We are humans. It is not impossible for us to make mistakes. However, the key is to be prepared for these unforeseen events. We are all absolutely frightened of fire. The harm and rampage it can cause is not unknown to us. Seeing an entire house getting salvaged by accidental fire is something that we would like to see only in movies.

However, these events occur in real life too. You will be surprised to know how many people become homeless and even lose their lives due to house fire every year. You can take every step to make sure this sort of nightmare never happens to you. But nothing can ensure 100% precaution other than installing smoke detectors by commercial electrical contractors. Oakley Electrical Contractors Ltd. is a well-established and modern thinking electrical contractor. They guarantee to carry out all the electrical installation with same integrity, irrespective of the scale of project.Tips for maintaining the smoke alarm:

As the saying goes, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you really want to protect your lovely home from fire, you should install smoke detectors immediately. These devices detect smoke faster than humans and save your house from fire. However, your work doesn’t end after the smoke alarm installation. You need to make sure that your detector is working properly. For that, proper maintenance of the detector is absolutely crucial. Here are a few tips to maintain the smoke alarm at your home:

⦁ Testing: You would not want a dead smoke alarm on the ceiling just pretending to protect your house. For this, it is absolutely necessary to test the smoke alarm once every month. This would make sure that the alarm is working properly. Also, problems like dead batteries can be easily detected. For testing, you just need to hold the test button down till you hear a blaring alarm. This would ensure that the smoke alarm is in a perfectly good condition. You might have to press the button more than once to stop the alarm.

⦁ Vacuuming: The tiny holes on your smoke detector can be the pathway for dust and small spiders for getting inside.  The dust particles can build up inside the detector and even the spiders can spin webs that can prevent the smoke alarm from working properly. Thus, vacuuming the smoke alarm every six months is absolutely crucial to get rid of the dust particles and other hindrances. This small practice can also help in keeping allergies at bay.

⦁ Spraying Insect Repellent: Smoke alarm is the perfect place for various insects to form their nest, as it remains undisturbed for most of the time. To prevent this, it is crucial to spray insect repellent on your smoke alarm every week. This would prevent the insects from getting inside the alarm and building up a nest.

⦁ Battery replacement: You must not forget about replacing the battery of the smoke alarm to make sure that it is working properly. In most of the models, the battery might need to be replaced after a year’s time. Also, for majority of the alarms, when the battery starts to run out, it starts emitting a low beeping noise after every few minutes to alert the user. However, not all the smoke alarms come with replaceable batteries. So it is always better to take professional help in such situations.

These are the few tips of maintaining the smoke alarm at your house. You should not forget that installing a smoke alarm is important, but what is more important is maintaining it.

Home Safety Products

Don’t know where to start when you need to do a risk assessment in the kitchen?

Don’t know where to start when you need to do a risk assessment in the kitchen?  Well, here’s what you need to do!

The kitchen is a place which is not only the busiest, but also the most dangerous and life threatening when the appropriate control measures aren’t taken.  A risk assessment is the best way to ensure that the kitchen is a safe place.  It’s not only made mandatory by the law, but also a crucial step in providing protection to your kitchen team, and also a safe working environment for your staff.  Kitchens can be especially hazardous workplaces — so you need to make sure that the assessment is done on point.

Risk assessments help you identify the major potential hazards present in your kitchen and help you focus on those hazards which can cause real pain to your employees.  Once you decide on carrying out an efficient kitchen risk assessment, ACSUK Group will help you with a full risk assessment of your kitchen and have you covered.  It shall help you identify, analyze, and resolve the potential hazards in your kitchen.  Once you decide on the services, you can now start to take the necessary steps to control the risk.

Steps to conduct a risk assessment:

In a perfect kitchen, food delivery is at one end, and finished meals are at the other end.  A risk assessment considers the probability of a hazard and the final consequences in case that hazard occurs.  It will take into consideration what the existing control measures are, and what future measures can be further implemented so as to lower the level of risk as much as possible.  Well, luckily for you, there are quite a few services which offer to carry out efficient risk assessments, as well as industrial cleaning in Manchester.

  •  Hazard identification:  A great starting point is to walk around your kitchen and note down whatever hazards that are common to your view.  These can include slippery floors, burns from exposed heat sources, sharp objects etc.  You should always check on the manufacturer’s’ instructions as they tell you clearly what hazards can take place.  Check up on your past records of incidental accidents and also consider long term health hazards such as chemical impacts.
  • Who is to be harmed:  Now that you have a clear idea regarding what the hazards are, you need to consider next how it can harm an individual.  You need to identify how bad and whom the hazard will impact.  You can ask your staff on this matter, and take into consideration what they think about the hazard. They might offer a separate perspective and help you look into a matter which you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed.
  • Evaluate risks:  Now, you need to pay attention to the risk, and decide if you can eradicate it completely, or lower it down to an unharmful level.  You can do this by options for a less risky alternative, or organizing work in a better way or preventing chances of the hazard or providing first aid or offering protective gear etc.
  • Note down findings:  The next step is to record your significant findings regarding the hazard and how it can harm your people and how to prevent it.  Keeping a written record of your findings shall help you review it in the future.  It shall help you at a later date in cases of changes in the law or business expansion etc.
  • Update assessment:  Workplaces keep on changing and more than you realize, you will be bringing in new changes starting from newer team to newer equipment and process.  This can be the reason of newer hazards propping up, and that’s the reason you need to review it and update the assessment process on a regular basis.  Your records need to be up to date and you need to ask yourself a few important questions.  These questions involve if there are any improvements needed or significant changes that took place, or if workers have noticed any trouble etc.

So, these were the main steps that you need to follow for an efficient risk assessment process.  You need to follow each of these religiously, plan out an effective strategy and make sure everybody in your kitchen is very much involved.

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

5 Safety Measures You Can Take to Prevent a Gas Leak

5 Safety Measures You Can Take to  Prevent a Gas Leak

Home safety is achieved when everyone in the household is educated on what to do when there are home emergencies. This is the best assurance you can give to yourself and the people living in your house. Whatever the size of your house and appliances you have, accidents are very unpredictable and can happen when you least expect them. However, it can be prevented by following safety measures. Gas leaks are one of the main causes of fires at home and even explosions. This hazard is life-threatening which is why you should be vigilant when it comes to home safety.
The most obvious sign of a gas leak is the smell of a gas and this is something you need to worry. Leave the area as soon as possible and call emergency services. If you want to prevent this kind of incident, follow these safety measures and let everyone in the house know about these.
1. Make sure it is properly installed
Sometimes the cause of a gas leak at home is poor and faulty installation. Before you use your appliances at home, make sure they are installed properly. Ideally, a Gas Safety Engineer (GSE) or any qualified gas installer should install your appliances to make sure they are properly and securely fitted.
2. Turn off gas appliances after use
Safety starts with you and everyone in the house. Be mindful and careful whenever you use your household appliances because anything careless increases your risk at home. You and your family should know and familiarise where your gas supply can be turned off so anyone can shut if off immediately right after use. Turning off your appliances after using is the best security you can deal at home.
3. Install a carbon monoxide alarm
Gases contain carbon monoxide that’s why a gas leak can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. It is easier to detect a gas leak in your household if you keep a carbon monoxide alarm so that you will be alerted if ever there are leaks. Make sure that is installed properly; otherwise, the alarm might not function properly and leave you prone to the dangers of gas leaks. Lastly, change the batteries every year to ensure optimal performance.
4. Save the national gas emergency number
For safety and emergency purposes, make sure to save the national gas number in your phone book or any area in your house where you can list important numbers. In this case, you can contact the number whenever you have an emergency gas leak at home.
5. Check the appliances on a regular basis
Even if your appliances are installed by a Gas Safe Register Engineer, it doesn’t mean you can just be relaxed when it comes to gas leaks. Remember that you use the appliances regularly and it’s possible that they can be dysfunctional because of continued usage. We highly advise having a professional GSE check your appliances on a constant basis to see if there are any issues.
Let your family members know all these safety measures to protect your household. Gas leaks are a serious matter which is why you should educate the people in your household to ensure no one gets hurt and no property gets severely damaged.
General Safety Issues, High Visibility Safety, Home Safety Products

7 Most Overlooked Factors That Can Invite Burglars To Your House

7 Most Overlooked Factors That Can Invite Burglars To Your House

Is your house burglar-proof? Do you think installing high-tech security gadgets will keep your loved ones safe?

Security options keep on increasing, and so do ways to beat them in their own game. If you are not able to invest a fortune in security gadgets, then is your home really safe?

Many security features make you overconfident about the safety of your house, which results in some foolish outcomes, like the following:

  1. Shrubs and plants

Plants or shrubs near the doors or windows simply means that you are inviting the burglar to lay down and hide until he gets a chance to enter the house. If you think your security cameras will alert you if any stranger turns up, then think again because even burglars know how to trick them, and enter the house unnoticed. If you still want to have plants and shrubs or your premises, then planting them near the fence is a much better option than near doors and windows. Go green wisely!

  1. Dog door

Do you love pets? Having a dog is bliss, ain’t it?

You must be having a dog door in your house, which must look very cute, right? But do you know it is a doorway to evil too? Just because it opens a door for burglars to enter your house as it has no locks or security mechanisms, naturally. Make sure you take care of the size of the dog door or its need because it is better to avoid such options, if they can be!

  1. High-rise railings

You may not like high-rise railings, but you should install them around your house to ensure the safety of your loved ones. High-rise fences allow you to stay safe not only from burglars, but also from stray animals; else they might not have to worry about the entry door anymore. You can choose railings with spikes or any other security feature to make sure it is burglar-proof. There are variety of materials as well, like metal wires, glass or wooden railings or concrete fences. Choose a material that complements the interiors of your house and meets your safety requirements!

  1. New neighbours

Having friendly neighbours is good, right? But being too familiar should not be preferred because if you don’t know your new neighbours accurately, spilling the beans in front of them might have serious consequences. They might be burglars or kleptomaniac, you never know! Know the new neighbours first, and then you can be as friendly with them as you desire.

  1. Open garage

Having a well designed open garage adds to the curb appeal, but it also increases the risks of robberies because it offers free passage to unwanted strangers. You may say that you have a security camera installed at the door and everything, but is it enough? What if the stranger enters the place with a weapon? Will seeing them on the security footage make you safe?

  1. Old locks

When was the last time you got the house locks changed? Still happy with your old locks? Get them replaced right away! As the technology is advancing, the methods to crack locks is also getting more and more efficient every day. Having old locks is like offering a treat to the burglars because then they don’t have to try hard to get inside your house.

“Always stay ahead of burglars by installing advanced security options; the time for old is gold is long gone”- Resmi, RS Engineering Installations Ltd.

  1. A tell-all

If you have a loud mouth, then don’t open it in front of everyone, especially strangers because you never know who might hear about your security installations, and plan a way to enter your house unannounced. No one likes unwanted guests, and especially when you are not there yourself. Don’t guide the burglar inside the home unknowingly, shut up! Boasting about everything else may be fine, but it’s never okay if the topic is your security system and its loopholes!

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

What Are The Important Physical Security Measures An Organization Should Consider?

What Are The Important Physical Security Measures An Organization Should Consider?

Implementing a fail-safe security system is one of the most important actions a business owner must take when opening their organization to the general public. This system should be designed to protect the company against all known threats and to ensure the company’s employees and customers feel safe and assured in working with the organization in the long-term. For customers, a secure company is a productive company. Here is a list of the most important physical security measures an organization must take to protect their infrastructure.

 

The Basics: A Security Alarm System

Every business and organization should begin by installing a security alarm system – this is an absolute essential for any business. You can then enhance this level of security by investing in monitoring, which means that your premises will be monitored by an alarm company to ensure that you and your employees are safe and secure at all times. In the event that an emergency unfolds, the alarm company will contact the appropriate emergency department on your behalf.

Not only should businesses have a security alarm installed as a means to deter burglars and other intruders, but additional security measures should be put in place to actually prevent them from forcing themselves through windows and doors, for example. This means that all businesses should also consider security bars, security window film, or both. Indeed, when it comes to security, organizations need to protect themselves from every possible angle.

Install Outdoor Motion Sensors

Protecting the interior of the building begins with proactively monitoring the outside perimeter of the property. Companies should begin their security systems implementation processes by installing outdoor motion sensors. It’s important to consider systems that connect to a wider security infrastructure. Some companies now use smart sensor technology that connects outdoor motion sensors directly to their smart devices and to switchboards operated by emergency response personnel.

Install An Electronic Access Control System

Installing an electronic access control system should be one of the leading considerations when it comes to protecting your organization, both from external and internal threats. An access control system means that only authorized individuals (who have been issued an electronic card) can enter the premises.

Access control systems allow businesses to protect themselves internally by restricting employees’ ability to enter certain rooms and floors and at different times/days of the month. In this way, access control systems allow businesses to protect their most valuable areas that absolutely need to be protected, from server rooms to workstations with computers, for example.

Integrate Security Cameras across the Premises

With the growth in security camera technology and the increasing innovation within the smart device field, security cameras are now a must-have tool for the Canadian businesses. This simple to use low cost device can help monitor a company’s premises during regular office hours as well as overnight to protect work staff and ensure intrusion events are spotted and resolved quickly and effectively. When installing security camera systems, it’s important to conduct a walk-through of the business property with a security professional to locate hidden areas and points of potential security weakness.

Use Industry-Recommended Safes

Business owners must have a comprehensive plan for maintaining the safety of their valuables. The latest safe products from brand leaders such as Halsco Safes can help company leaders keep their documents and other important items safe within the property. It’s imperative that business owners review the range of safe options available within the marketplace, including under counter safes for money storage, and wall-safes for document and property storage.

Create a Complete Security Network

After the installation of their security cameras, motion sensors, and safes, business owners should work with their local security specialist to ensure the entire property is secured through an inter-connected cabling system. Business security specialists can help analyze the company’s needs and then advise owners on the creation of a versatile network that empowers proactive responses to the latest security threats. This will help ensure that any threats are monitored, catalogued, and mitigated using cutting-edge systems.

By understanding the physical threats to their business, company owners can build a refined security infrastructure that ensures their firm, its employees, and its customers are protected. To learn more, speak with the team at Protection Plus directly.

 

Eye Protection, Hand Protection, Home Safety Products, Protective Clothing

Plumbing Safety Tips

Plumbing Safety Tips

While many people would think that they can just DIY and repair their plumbing systems, it is undeniable that sometimes, it can be dangerous too. This is why many experts advice home and business owners to just leave any renovation, remodeling, or repair to the pros. But, some will still risk it, especially if it’s a minor issue and the hassle of acquiring the services of contractors is not worth it.

In any given time and circumstances, standard safety precaution and measures should be diligently applied. To make sure you are fully safe, here are some basic safety rules and reminders which you should apply when dealing with home plumbing projects:

 Turn off every electrical source.

One of the most immediate dangers of dealing with plumbing is the threat of being electrocuted. Remember, since most likely you will be working on wet areas, water is a conductor of electricity and electricity can travel through water. Being electrocuted imposes a great risk for your health and safety. If you are repairing a plumbing issue near an electrical source, it is important to remember to turn off the power near that source.

Wear protective gear.

Never think it is over the top to wear protective gear when working with your plumbing system. Wear goggles to protect your eye from any small debris. Safety goggles particularly will provide the adequate protection for your eyes for most jobs. Wear an ear-protecting gear when you’re working with loud tools. Remember that Protecting your ears is even more important when you are performing nosier jobs like hammering or heavy-duty pounding. Continuous loud noise can damage your ears more than you think. Wear gloves to protect your hands. The type of gloves that you may need depends on the type of job that you are doing:

  • If your work involves chemicals, wear rubber gloves.
  • If you are doing some soldering, wear a pair of heavy-duty leather gloves

You should also consider your working clothes. As much as possible, never work while on your home clothes or pajamas. Wear long pants and long sleeves for waste water protection containing chemicals and bacteria. You can also wear a respirator, or face masks to avoid inhaling chemical fumes. Keep in mind that accidents can happen all the time, and being prepared is better than being sorry in the end.

Use the right tools.

One of the most important factors of successfully doing any job is having and using the right tools specific for the need. If you are DIY-ing for the first time, you might want to invest in the right tools for each job. You cannot just improvise, or use a different tool specified for a sole purpose, it can only worsen the situation, or even lead to bigger, harder to solve problems. The repair can also take a much longer time to do if you use the wrong tools. You can even lose more money in the long run!

Although buying each tool may be hard on the budget, it is important to purchase high quality ones which can last the test of time and will not deteriorate over a couple of uses. Also, know which tools you will need prior to doing the renovation or repair. Keep in mind that these tools were designed to perform a specific task, made to fit in specific spaces and you should respect it and use them accordingly.

 Study and Practice.

Studying what you need to do by the book can only do so much. Practice. Watch tutorials and know the proper usage of the tools. This can help you address the needed repairs properly.

Know the emergency numbers.

In line with preparation, have the emergency contact numbers at hand. List down the contact for the fire department, hospital and ambulance numbers, police hotlines, and specific utility numbers as well. Have them ready or displayed in a common area on your house.

  Calm down 

If anything bad happens, remember to calm down. Sometimes, panicking can do no good and only worsen the situation. Know the first aid and the right thing to do when accidents happen. Remember, keeping calm will help you make the best decision and act quickly and wisely.

 

Safety should always be your top priority regardless of the situation. Hazards can be prevented by knowing what to do, using the right tools, practicing, being prepared, and most importantly, staying calm. In spite of being willing to repair things, you should note that your health and your life should be your priority.

SOURCES:

 

 

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

Safety Tips to be followed by everyone having small kids in house

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Safety Tips to be followed by everyone having small kids in house

We all go through several articles and blogs about general safety, workplace safety, traveling safety, etc but hardly have we seen safety tips for kids inside your house. There is a huge misconception in people’s mind that if the kid is in the house he/she is absolutely safe. You guys will have to come out of that bubble as your kids are most insecure when they are inside your house.

When kids are around you inside the house you get a bit care free and relaxed neglecting lots of safety concerns that can cause really bad damage to your small kids. Safety starts at your own house is a true thing, keeping your kids secure a home will help them learn a lot as they will be able to differentiate between the threats and harmless things. Here is the list of safety precautions that everyone having small kids in house must take:

  • Cover all the extra sockets: we all must be having lots of switch boards in our house and majority of them are not even used. If you have small kids and your switchboards having sockets are at a lower level where your kid can easily reach so make sure you cover all those sockets with the appropriate amount of tape or else your kid might get current from it. You can use the sockets that are on the higher level. Also make sure you don’t leave your chargers plugged in the socket.
  • Make sure your balcony is covered: no matter you live in an apartment or a bungalow you must be having a terrace or a balcony. It is very important that you cover the terrace or balcony nicely so that it doesn’t ruin your home’s beauty and also it gets secured. There is a high chance of small kids falling down from terrace or balconies, so it is always better to take timely precautions rather than curing it later.
  • Get a door fixed next to the stairs: if you live in a one unit house and you have stairs in your house then you have to be extra careful with your toddlers as they do not have enough sense about the stairs. Make sure you block your stairs with a beautiful small wooden door, you can get one customized according to your interiors as it will not look bad and will also fulfill your safety needs. These doors can also be temporary so you can get rid of them as soon as your kids grow up. This will prevent your small kids from falling down the stairs.
  • Don’t keep your straighteners and tongs on the floor: many young mothers make this mistake of leaving their witched on tongs and straighteners on the floor without realizing that their kids are crawling and roaming in the house so they can get their hands or body burned by touching it. Small kids obviously don’t know what a tong or a straightener is or what a scented candle is. All these things are attractive for small kids and they will want to grab it.
  • Keep your electrical stuff out of reach: any electrical stuff in your house should be kept far away from your kid’s reach. May it be beauty products; chargers, kitchen products or whatever is it in your house keep it on a higher level where your kids cannot reach. There have been so many cases observed in different countries where kids lose their lives just because of their parent’s carelessness. Of course you don’t want to be one of them, so make sure that you take this precaution and keep your kids safe from any incident.
  • Make sure your kids don’t reach any chemicals, bleach, finyle, etc: apart from all the electronic things in your house there are lots of other things that should not be in your kid’s hands. You might be having different cleaning chemicals, hair chemicals, and other hair products, you might also be having finyle, colors, paints, polish, perfumes, and so on, make sure all these things are kept on a higher level where your kid cannot reach or if it’s even on the lower level in the cupboard or cabinet then make sure its locked all the time until and unless it is not being used.

Above mentioned are very simple and minor things that are ignored by many people and because of this small kids have to suffer a lot. You should always take precautions instead of getting your kids and yourself in trouble.

Author Bio: David J. Paul is an engineer by profession and a lecturer by passion at Assignment Help Online. He has conducted hundreds of training and safety sessions in his career of seventeen years.

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

Top Health and Safety Tips for Office Furniture

Top Health and Safety Tips for Office Furniture

The most common injuries that take place within an office environment are associated with ergonomics (referring to the science of equipment design). Due to the fact that the majority of an office worker’s time is spent sat at a desk while working on a computer, this exposes them to a higher risk of strains and other injuries concerned with posture and repetitive movement. There are a number of things you can do to try and reduce this.

Provide adjustable equipment

An office is the perfect example of a situation where one size definitely does not fit all. Everybody is different and therefore it is important to provide chairs, work surfaces, monitor stands etc that are adjustable to accommodate everyone. It is also important to source the furniture and equipment from a reputable company where you can be sure it is regulated and has passed numerous safety tests, for example by purchasing your office furniture in Manchester rather than from other countries where it may not be regulated.

Train workers how to use equipment

Once you have all of the correct furniture and equipment installed, it is your duty to ensure that the employees are also properly educated on the risks and trained to use the equipment effectively. You should make sure they are firstly aware of the correct way to set up their work station, the damage that could be caused if this isn’t carried out, and then how to use and adjust the furniture provided to achieve this.

Provide document holders

When copying from a hard copy, constantly switching position from looking down at the desk to up at the computer screen can lead to neck strain. A document holder that holds the hard copy up at eye level next to the computer screen will eliminate the risk of neck strain. It will also be beneficial of your eyes as they will no longer have to constantly change focus as you swap from the document to the monitor. It is also advised that employee’s feet are able to firmly touch the floor when seated, and the mouse always be placed level with the keyboard.

Healthy and safety in the office is essential as it concerns the welfare of employees, employers, and anybody else who enters the workplace from customers to the post man. There are a number of inevitable hazards within an office environment and accidents do happen. However, as an employer it is your duty to make sure you are aware of these hazards, and have put every possible measure in place to minimise the risks.