Tag Archives: jobs

THANKS TO “SAFETY” IN MY LIFE!

Today is my birthday, and no, I won’t say how many years, but I’m ‘way past 39 and holding!  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, family, and friends.  Healthy grown children with wonderful spouses, and healthy grandchildren,  what more could one hope for? My current job has opened up a new world to me.  In the past, I worked as an office manager in an oilfield construction company for almost twenty years.  There were so many safety elements involved in that company that little did I realize how many things I was learning that have helped me in my job today.

We were fortunate to be able to come back to the little town where we both grew up about 15 years ago, when the oilfield slowed down.  I worked as a clerk in a Special Ed Co-op for five years; there are many life lessons to be learned in that field, and the professionals who serve special needs children are angels, in my book.  Following that, I served as an Administrative Assistant at our local hospital, and later in a new hospital that merged ours and another one in the county, making our county the first in Texas to dissolve their hospital districts and combine into one new hospital district.  You can really learn first-hand about safety when working in a hospital.  A hospital is a unique type of world to work in, and one can only understand if they have done so.  Nursing and physician care, confidentiality, infection control, and compliance are just some of the important parts of daily service to ensure the best care possible for patients. 

A few years ago, my brother-in-law asked me if I would be interested in doing some part-time work for his company, Texas America Safety Company, as a sales representative and public relations person.  Later, a free safety blog was developed, Blog4Safety.com, and I was asked to write blogs about home safety, work safety, and even safety in activities.  It’s said, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but I learn new things every day.   I know my family gets tired of my safety advice.  A couple of dear friends are kind enough to critique the articles sometimes.  

Today’s article is short and sweet, but I just want you to know that as I celebrate my birthday, I am thankful for my family, thankful for the wonderful people I work with, (our dog, Buddy, of course), as well as good friends.  Also, thanks to you who take the time to read our blog.  Hopefully we can bring out some information that will help keep you safe.  We have received comments from all over the world since this blog started, and it is good to know that everyone is concerned with what they can do to help make the world a safer place.  Let’s work together and share ideas.  Thank you for your time and interest in our safety suggestions.  And please stay safe!

 

IS THERE CONFLICT IN YOUR WORKPLACE?

Do you or have you ever worked where there wasn’t some sort of conflict?  First, I looked up the word “conflict” and it has several definitions: dispute, disagreement, clash, difference, argument, quarrel, or discord.  Do any of these fit your workplace?  Face it, we are all human beings, and it just seems to be in our nature to look out for ourselves, many times forgetting to think about the others who come to work every day. 

Workplace conflicts cannot be ignored.  Companies have trained leaders that use their expertise to resolve differences before they grow into something destructive and harmful for their employees.  When there is discord among workers, companies will start seeing more absenteeism, turnover, stress, accidents, lower productivity, and a decrease in employee morale.  Leaders must meet with those in conflict together, not separately.  This gives those involved the opportunity to give their side of the story, as well as listen to the other party.  If it is done separately, stories sometimes have a way of getting stretched a little.  Mediating a conflict is a serious responsibility.  A leader must consider that if conflicts are not resolved, the safety of the employees may be compromised. 

Bullying in the workplace should never be accepted.  Some of the safety factors that are seen where there are conflicts are aggressive behaviors by certain workers, exclusion of  workers, physically abusing or threatening them, yelling at or criticizing an employee, or tampering with equipment.  Supervisors must treat complaints seriously, and not ignoring potential problems. 

Some of the causes of conflict may be the fact that one person’s success in achieving his/her goals for the day depend on another person’s input/output of data that the first person needs. Certain workers are very task-oriented, while others sail right through a project.  We are all different- that’s what makes the world unique.  Some of this “uniqueness” may be at the root of conflict, whether it is intentional or unintentional, such as: differences in gender/background, educational backgrounds, experience, ethnic heritage, or political preferences.  (It seems as though there’s always something to “agree to disagree” on!)  Statistics show that 85% of dismissals in the U.S. are due to personality conflicts. 

Do you have a story?  How do you justify your poor behavior, if that’s the case?  Have you let someone down more than one time, but you reason that it’s because you are overworked?  If a co-worker brings a birthday card to the boss, do you think it’s because he’s buttering up the boss for a promotion; however, if you bring a card to the boss, it’s because you are a warm and caring person.  Re-thinking your story about your differences at work is important because it keeps you from over-reacting to a situation; it opens up an opportunity for healthy discussion, and rather than ambushing other persons with your emotions, you begin to sift “fact”  from “story”.  

Just The Facts: 

Make a list about the conflict you are experiencing with someone.  On the left side of the page, describe incidents that you have been telling or thinking about that person.  Things that have kept going through your mindOn the right side of the page, list just the facts.  Specific actions and information you have taken and the objective of your desires to resolve the quarrel.  This could open up a healthy conversation with less accusations and improve cooperation with each other.  If you and a co-worker can work out any misunderstandings, you will both get more out of your job, and your company will get more out of you.  Supervisors want to help, so go to them if you can’t take care of it yourself. 

Communication is the key to success in every walk of life – in our work and with our families.  If you are happy at work, you won’t be taking those complaints and worries home with you.  Be assertive, but always respect others.  Share tips with your workers that can help them in their jobs.  Life is too short to carry heavy loads such as resentment, frustration, confusion and anger with us.

STRESSFUL JOBS EQUAL DANGEROUS JOBS

A short time ago, we presented an article that asked, “What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs in America?”   Some jobs that are stressful may not be as demanding as dangerous jobs; however, they can create so much pressure that they are as harmful to an individual than the ones that carry a lot of risk.

Based on a study done by CareerCast.com, listed below are the five top stressful jobs of 200 hundred occupations, and were based on 21 stress-causing factors and how significant these demands figure into the average workday.  Certain job demands are competitiveness, risk of unemployment, and the opportunity for advancement.  It’s interesting that some of the five were also on our list of America’s Most Dangerous Jobs, and reference will be made to our articles, in case you wish to review them.

1.    Firefighters – Stress Rank 200.  Whether they are professional or volunteer firefighters, these men and women are on call and risk their lives to protect our homes, businesses, and wilderness from devastating fires.  They experience smoke inhalation, heat exhaustion, and may be required to work outdoors for long hours, in all weather elements.

2.    Corporate executives – Stress Rank 199.  These people make decisions that are important to employees and their company’s success or failure on a daily basis.  They may work many more hours than their workers realize.  Their world is a very competitive one.

3.    Taxi drivers – Stress Rank 198.  Our article, “Have You Taken A Taxi Lately?” describes the risks that taxi drivers experience every day.  Their hours are erratic, which include nights and weekends.  Driving through heavy traffic, especially in bad weather and being responsible for passengers can create a very heavy stress load.

4.    Surgeons – Stress Rank 197.  It may take hours for a surgeon to perform one operation.   Add several more surgeries to that, or emergency surgery during odd hours, and their level of stress can be high.  In addition to the fatigue factor, the decisions they must make affects the lives of their patients.  Their job demands precision and perfection.

5.    Police Officers – Stress Rank 196.  Law enforcement officers face life-threatening  situations – sometimes on a daily basis.  They have to work long shifts, be ready for emergencies, and present physical and emotional strength to the public they serve.  Our article, “Want to Go Into Law Enforcement?” talks about the dangers our officers incur.

Other stressful and dangerous jobs we have discussed include “Dangerous Job: Coal Miners; (before the terrible explosion in West Virginia,), and “Timberrrr”-logging industry dangers.

A final note: any occupation that has to do with producing our nation’s energy is dangerous.  A current example is the tragic off-shore rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.  Whether drilling on land or in the water, persons working on drilling rigs respect the dangers that go along with their jobs.  Persons that work on well service rigs, in refineries, coal mines, and companies that contract with oil and gas companies are trained to be familiar with the risks involved in their particular duties.  Stress and danger seem to go hand-in-hand in many occupations.  We have named just a few today.