Wear Your Protective Gears, Make Use of Ergonomics

It is the start of a beautiful week today and whiles most of us dread the workload that perhaps waits for us at the office or our workplaces we are quite glad to see the days pass by quite quickly because January seems to be taking forever, but do not dismay, it will pass soon.

But I do hope you had a great weekend though and that you are ready for the week, today I am coming to you as usual with another focus on health generally however I due to our starting the week of work we would be looking at work safety and hazards and I hope as usual you enjoy the read.

Safety doesn't only apply when there is visible danger lurking around, accidents do happen and a lot of times they come about at the most unexpected times causing more harm than could have been anticipated. Recently I read the story of Jeremy Renner who served as one of the core avengers playing the character of hawkeye and I felt terrible about the prognosis.

In an attempt to help a friend he may end up losing his legs because it was run over by the plowing machine he sought to use to help his friend, I am certain that he didn't see this coming at all and perhaps would have done things differently if we could see the future, unfortunately, none of us can tell what the future holds but we can project and protect ourselves.

I always say that it is better safe than sorry, when we have the opportunity to do the right thing we ought to do it now and not postpone because the next minute may have warranted we did the right thing. In our workplaces some things need to be done to protect ourselves from potential harm or damage, some of these things are for the immediate threats around whereas others protect our health for the future.

Do not assume that because you do not work at a construction site or you work a white-collar job you do not have any health threats to worry about, even your daily use of the computer spending about 10 hours everyday typing and using tech screen has its own potential harm and whiles it may not come outright unlike a cement bag falling on you, it could eventually cause you lots of pain and health damage shortly.

Every work has its potential hazards as I already mentioned and it is the reason why health inspectors have put down stipulated guidelines to govern how you should work and the things you need to do before you step into the office or onto the work field to do your work. Do not overlook the importance of your protective gear.

Do not think that you have been doing this for so long and nothing has happened and so nothing will happen. Seat belts save lives, wear them if you have to drive, if driving is your full-time job and the car is your office, you owe yourself the safety of ensuring that your seat belt is on, on the road someone could bring his or her issues to you even if you try to drive as carefully as possible, you have to always be ready for the worse.

In the western world, motor vehicles are not used for public transportation but in parts of Africa there are roads that cars can't access and motors are the only means to transport people, in such cases, you have to make sure you are wearing your helmets and that you passenger also has one. Helmets could save your life and your head from splattering the ground should anything happen whiles on the road.

On the issue of helmets if you are working in a factory or a worksite that uses heavy machinery with objects being moved up and down with the potential danger of something falling from above, please do not take your helmet for granted. Face shields may just save you from losing your sight, in an environment where potential flying objects may be around, face shields are a must.

Welders who refuse to use their face shields when workers are at risk of loss of sight, this is because the extreme light is powerful enough to kill your retina cells outright and once these cells die off absolutely nothing can be done to salvage your sight, now even if you are lucky enough not to have your cells die off you may develop the condition known as welder's arc which is extremely painful and very uncomfortable, it could put you out of work for days.

In the office, repetitive actions such as typing over long hours could build up the strain and easily result in damage to bones, strain buildup in various body parts could be very uncomfortable and even painful in some instances, and could result in damage to the system.

Spending hours sitting at one point could easily build up strain in your back and could easily cause damage to your back or even your spine, bad sitting postures could be quite detrimental and could have long-term repercussions. You may develop eye strain from constant looking at your computer screen or laptop due to work and it could result in computer vision syndrome very shortly.

The lighting in your office could impact work productivity and also affect your sight over time, you have to ensure that your work illumination is good enough as it wouldn't only affect your health but your mood too, it could even have an impact on the circadian rhythm, serotonin production, etc.

And so at work, you have to make good use of ergonomic tools, technology has made things easier for us, there are ergonomic keyboards that would help take the strain off your hands and make things easier for you at work, ergonomic chairs relax your back and ease the strain on your spine making it safer for you to work.

Spend time setting up your office well to make working long hours easier and safer for you, do not set your back to face light from windows or the sun as glare could damage your eyes and sight over time and also make working extremely uncomfortable. On your laptop or computer make good use of ergonomic software such as warm, night mode, etc to reduce strain and do well to take a break every now and then, it really does pay off.

You should always be prepared for misfortunes or accidents and you should always put your safety first wherever you may be because life is precious, health is precious and you shouldn't joke with it at all. Speak to your administration on how best they can help make things easier for you at the workplace.

_{by Hive account@nattybongo}

You should also have regular health examinations, do not wait for symptoms to worsen before consulting your doctor because if you use work as an excuse you will be replaced when you are indisposed and can't work anymore due to work hazards or damage. Always protect your eyes and your sight and be sure to do right by yourself always. Thank you for today and for your time, I wish you a fruitful week.