Tag Archives: benefits

General Safety Issues

LOOKING AFTER YOUR STAFF PAYS OFF IN THE LONG RUN (GUEST POST)

Looking after your staff really does pay dividends. If you respect and support them through their working careers, they will stay longer, work harder and put much more effort into whatever they do. Happy staff are more productive and will offer you extra help when you really need it rather than a worker who feels unappreciated and gives work not even a second thought after clocking off time. They will more than likely also be unprepared to work extra hours or shifts when asked.  If you treat them as just mere workers and never give them the time of day, that is exactly how they will treat you and your company in return.

Hiring the right kind of staff for the job is of course crucial in the first instance, but looking after them after they have started employment with your firm is probably one of the most important things you can do. The ways to do this are simple. 

Make them feel a part of the team. Welcome them into your company and make them aware that your door is always open if they need help. Greet them on a daily basis and thank them at every opportunity. Make it company practice that their direct managers do this too, as it makes the staff feel valued and not just a number. 

If you set targets, give them an incentive like a prize for reaching set targets or just for doing well. Reward hard work with pay raises or a perk, such as a company car or gym membership. They are sometimes more valuable than extra cash in their paycheck.

You may also want to think about providing childcare vouchers for working parents or medical and dental plans for all staff, if your company can afford it. This way you may attract better workers for less direct outlay. 

Not only looking after your employees financial and physical expectations is needed but also their emotional and mental needs should be addressed. Freedom from bullying and harassment are just two situations that need to be looked at and dealt with quickly and harshly, so they are not repeated time and time again. 

Training is also key and employees should be given every opportunity to learn and grow within your business, a chance to advance their career and climb the company ladder. Give them every chance to prove to you and themselves that they can achieve great things. Let them make mistakes and learn from them, but also be there if they need help and support.  If their job includes safety hazards, be sure they know how to use their industrial safety supplies, (i.e., gloves, safety glasses, etc.) and take care of it.

Integrate them into company projects, this makes them feel important and gives them the push to succeed. Invite them to help make decisions, get them to vote on new company policies or set new rules. They are your staff and should also have a say in what happens within the company. 

Offer to give your staff time off when they really need it, for example when a family member is sick and they need to look after them or let them go early as a reward for working hard. All these generosities will be viewed kindly and will help you retain loyal, hard working employees who appreciate your efforts to make their working careers less stressful and more enjoyable. People who enjoy their job tend to stay on, even if they are offered a higher salary elsewhere. 

So if you treat your staff as you would like to be treated, you will earn their respect and gain their trust. Work in partnership with them, instead of dominating them at every turn. Work to their strengths and abilities and you won’t go far wrong!

“Good words of advice from Conner Short from The Van Warehouse“.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

FIVE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER AT HOME AND/OR WORK (GUEST POST)

Laughter and humor are far more contagious than any other things like cough or sniffle. It is the only effective weapon of human race. When laughter is shared, it connects you to others, inspires hopes and brings in confidence and intimacy. Laughter makes the environment around us much more pleasant. We can even use laughter to make our work day great. Although we need to be serious at our workplace, it is also essential to incorporate laughter and humor in your day-to-day routine. The great news is laughter can come in handy and is a priceless medicine to use at a workplace.  Here are the five great health benefits of laughter at home and workplace.

1.  Laughter helps to overcome challenges at workplace and your life

The ability to laugh and enjoy not only makes life more pleasurable but also helps you to handle tough situations and be more creative. People who use laughter in their daily lives discover that it strengthens their relationships.

You may have to face challenges in life and when you take those problems too seriously, it can be difficult for you to think outside the box and fix the problem. But when you handle the problem with fun, you certainly accept it as an opportunity for creative learning.

Just observe how children play with problems. When they are scared about any problem , they treat it as a game, and experiment it with different solutions. Using fun to interact with others helps you to develop this creativity.

Of course, laughter must have some limits. One must be more careful about what they speak or have fun so as not to hurt others in anyway. Crack a joke with your co-workers on your break or if you have a funny idea, pass it along to your seniors. Studies have reported that companies that allowed fun and enjoyment at work observed its employees to be more productive and motivated.

2.  Laughter is an effective medicine for mind and body

Laughter is an effective medicine that works faster than anything to bring down stress, pain and conflict. It reduces your sorrows, builds confidence, binds you with others and keeps you firm and active. It has tremendous physiological effects on your body.

  •  A good hearty laugh boosts immunity by reducing the release of stress hormones. It helps in keeping your muscles relaxed for up to an hour after.
  •  Laughter causes the production of endomorphins which are necessary to keep you happy.
  •  Laughter improves blood circulation thus protecting you from several heart disorders.
  •  It helps you in discharging all the air in your lungs that carries more carbon dioxide and moisture.
  •  It enhances teamwork among employees.
  •  It helps us to be more creative and explore the world in a different way.

3.  Social benefits of laughter

Laughter brings people together by fostering positive feelings and triggering emotional connection. When we share laughing, a positive bond is established. This bond helps you to overcome stress, disagreements and anxiety.

Sharing laughter is more effective than doing it alone. It is a great tool for making relationships strong and lasting forever. Laughter brings in emotional balance. Incorporating laughter and fun in your day-to-day tasks can improve the connections with your colleagues, family members and friends. Spice up your life with laughter, it does great wonders:

  •  It helps you to solve problems very easily.
  •  Laughter helps you get out of confusions, arguments and criticism.
  •  It takes off the fear from you.
  •  Exposes true feelings.

4.   Great internal workout

A good hearty laugh tones up your diaphragm, works out the abs and even exercises the shoulders, putting you to a more relaxed state later. It even provides a good cardio-workout. Laughing 100 times a day is the same as 15 minutes spent on a stationary bike.

5.  Increases life span

According to Psychiatry research, older optimistic people, those who though positively had a greater life span than those with negative thoughts.

The research included older individuals over the age of 65-85 years, who thought positively. Among them 55 percent lived longer than the most pessimistic people. In spite of their habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption and other health issues, these people who incorporated laughter into their lifestyle survived better and longer than pessimists.

We all have been gifted with this great weapon. So, what are you waiting for, whip out laughter to make your living great!

 

About The Author: Gianna is a writer/blogger. She loves writing about technology, gadgets and social media. She contributes to hometone (www.hometone.com).

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues

WHEN LIGHTING IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE FACTORY ENVIRONMENT: ALL THE TIME (GUEST POST)

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Modern factories—with their often-automated machinery, forklifts moving materials to necessary stations and loud mechanical noise levels that often prevent vocal warnings—are among the most potentially injurious places to work. According to a standard text on the topic, “Industrial Safety & Environment” by Amit Gupta, factory lighting is the single most important environmental variable effecting employees’ safety, comfort, satisfaction, efficiency and productivity.

Minimum OSHA Illumination Requirements in Machine Shops & Assembly Areas

Indeed, lighting in such industrial areas is so important as to be regulated by the Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA). The organization mandates minimum levels of lighting in areas depending upon the complexity of bench and machine work in the area. Simple or rough assembly requires 20 to 50 foot-candles of illumination, moderate bench work needs 50 to 100 foot-candles, difficulty assembly work demands 100 to 200 foot-candles of lighting while very fine precision bench work requires 200 to 500 foot-candles to safely and properly perform the job.

Types of Illumination

There are three major types of lighting required by OSHA to be available in the workplace. These include:

· General Lighting

Although experts in the field report that natural light is less stressful to the eye, it’s not an option for factories usually constructed over a large area that precludes natural light from reaching the interior of the workspace. Even if skylights are provided in a one-story factory to provide natural illumination, weather conditions can’t be controlled to ensure that the minimum degree of illumination required by OSHA is required.

For the typical factory, general lighting is that illumination provided by evenly spaced overhead light fixtures attached to the ceilings. Usually fluorescent, this lighting provides a consistent degree of illumination that can be measured by a light meter to ensure compliance with governmental regulations. The care and maintenance of this equipment is usually the responsibility of the plant maintenance department due to the equipment necessary to reach the lighting equipment.

· Task Lighting

Task lighting is illumination provided to spotlight aspects of workers’ specific job functions and is the most important type of lighting in terms of safety and injury prevention. This type of illumination can be provided by a number of different lamps, often attached to workbenches and moveable to allow employees to specifically adjust the light to their needs. Because of the strong association between adequate task lighting and injury prevention, replacement bulbs for these types of lamps or moveable bench lights need to be readily accessible to workers or floor supervisors in the event that a bulb expires during a worker’s shift.

· Emergency Lighting

Emergency lighting refers to illumination devices designed to turn on automatically in the event of a power failure or other emergency where workers’ vision can be challenged. These lights consist of illuminated emergency doors and may include lights along evacuation routes to the emergency doors.

Other Benefits to Proper Lighting

Benefits to the factory owner from provision of adequate lighting include fewer injuries, fewer loss days due to injury and increased productivity. The degree of improved efficiency and safety combined with the greater production output is said to offset the cost of providing proper illumination throughout the facility.

Sent by Maire Hunter.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

A QUICK REVIEW OF SAFE CO-SLEEPING (Guest Post)

In the United States co-sleeping with your infant is an extremely controversial topic.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (or AAP) advices against bed-sharing and instead advocates for room-sharing. The Consumer Product Safety Commission agrees with the AAP and advises parents to not place their babies in adult beds. While there are definitely benefits to sharing a bed with your baby, in Western culture the risks seem to outweigh the benefits, which are as follows:

  • Easy and convenient breastfeeding
  • Sleep synchronization for mother and baby
  • Increased bonding
  • Baby can smell, hear, and feel their mother which may promote safer sleep via “protective arousal”
  • Increase in nighttime sleep for both mother and baby.

The risks of bed-sharing include:

  • Suffocation
  • Entrapment
  • Strangulation
  • Rolling over onto baby
  • Knocking baby off of the bed
  • Increased risk of SIDS, in some cases.

Soft adult mattresses, loose bedding, bed frames, headboards, footboards, and positioning the bed close to walls may contribute to the risk of a baby being harmed or killed during bed-sharing.  In other cultures, where injuries and deaths related to bed-sharing are comparatively less, the cultural practices for bed-sharing are different. For example, in other cultures the mattresses may be firm and placed directly on the floor.

Infants who bed-share with siblings or with parents who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and infants with parents who smoke could be at a greater risk for injury or death while co-sleeping.

The term co-sleeping and bed-sharing are often used interchangeably, but they have two separate meanings.   Dr. Sears offers clarification to the different terms. The term co-sleeping refers to sleeping close enough to the baby for easy comforting, while the term bed-sharing refers to mother and baby sleeping side by side in an adult bed.

Placing your baby in a safe, separate, and close sleep space offers the benefits as co-sleeping without the added risks associated with bed-sharing. In fact, the Arm’s Reach Co-sleeper Bassinet, recommended by co-sleeping advocate and pediatrician Dr. Sears, attaches to a parents bed and keeps the mother and baby close to each other while still providing the baby with a separate sleep space on a firm mattress, away from the parent’s bedding, headboard, and footboard, which can all contribute to suffocation, strangulation, entrapment, or even SIDS.

For parents who opt to bed-share, despise the warnings, they should:

  • Always put their baby to sleep on her back
  • Always ensure their baby’s head is not covered
  • Make sure that their headboard or footboard doesn’t have cutouts that could trap their baby
  • Not leave their baby alone in the bed
  • Ensure  that their bed is away from walls, which could trap their baby should he fall
  • Ensure their bed is away from blind cords and drapes to prevent strangulation.
  • Be sure that there are no crevices between the headboard and mattress, which could lead to entrapment.
  • Not use pillows, comforters or other fluffy, loose bedding

For parents who choose to co-sleep, they should:

  • Always put their baby to sleep on her back
  • Use a wearable sleep blanket, rather than loose bedding
  • Place nothing else in the bassinet or crib
  • Position the bassinet or crib away from blind cords and drapes
  • Be sure the mattress fits snugly into the bassinet  or crib
  • Be sure the bassinet or crib sheet fits snugly and securely.

So, is co-sleeping safe?

Yes. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a safe and separate sleep space, in the parents’ room, within arm’s reach away from his mother.

Sent to us by Sara Dawkins. pb

 

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS OF LEMONS

You know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”  There may be more truth to that than we realize.  Recently, I was sent some information on the health benefits of lemons.  Those beautiful yellow fruits may be little “cure-alls.”  At least, I may give it a try.  

Of course, we know that lemons are a great source of Vitamin C, which helps fight infection and heal wounds.  They also bolster the immune system with their absorbic acid.  Mix some lemon juice with water and taken regularly in the morning, it serves as a tonic to the liver by stimulating the production of bile in order to digest the day’s food.  Some theories about lemons are that they help dissolve gallstones, relieve symptoms of asthma, tonsillitis, sore throat and act as a diuretic to help clear up urinary tract infections.  Eating lemons are healthier than oranges.  Lemons will clean all your intestines, which oranges don’t. 

It’s always pleasing to drink a glass of fresh lemonade; however, you can eat them raw, and add a little sugar to cut the tartness.  Lemons will damage tooth enamel, so remember whether you drink the juice or eat one, brush teeth afterward to remove juice from your teeth.  From the Institute of Health Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland: Lemon (citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells.  It is stronger than chemotherapy.  Lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease.  It has a pleasant taste.  You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc.  It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors.  Some physicians say it is very useful in all variants of cancer.  Other health claims about lemons are that they are effective against internal parasites, regulate high blood pressure and even serve as an antidepressant, combating stress and nervous disorders.  The source of this information comes, ironically,  from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world. 

Another health idea: lemon balm: used to reduce fevers, coughs, colds, hay fever, dizziness, headaches, high blood pressure.  It also seems to calm anxieties and supposedly helps memory storage and recall. Here is the recipe for lemon balm from ehow.com:

Things You’ll Need

  • 8 oz. lemon balm infused oil
  • 1 oz. grated beeswax
  • Double boiler
  • 8-10 drops tincture of benzoin
  • 8 oz. low tub or jar with lid
  • Labels
  • Combine the lemon balm infused oil with the grated beeswax in the top portion of a double boiler. Fill the bottom of the double boiler about halfway with warm water. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly until the beeswax is melted.
  • Insert a metal spoon into the mixture and quickly pull it out. Allow the salve to harden on the spoon and then test the consistency. If using the salve on an open wound, a softer consistency is recommended. 
  • Add 1/4 oz. more beeswax if the salve is too soft, or 1/4 oz. more oil if it is too hard. Heat the mixture again and re-test. Continue this process until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Remove the mixture from the heat and add eight to 10 drops of tincture of benzoin. This substance acts as a preservative and keeps the lemon balm salve fresh for a longer period of time. Stir well to combine. 
  • Pour the salve into a tub or jar. Allow it to stand uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, at which time it should be completely set. Label the jar with the contents and store in a cool, dry place for up to one year. 

We are not making any health claims, only passing on this information, so you can make the decision to try it or not.  I know I could throw away lots of pills if it worked for me.  It certainly seems that it would be worth trying.   So, sit down, relax, and sip on that glass of lemonade.