10 Must-Follow Safety Tips when Doing Electrical Work at Home

From early childhood, we are taught not to play with electricity, for obvious reasons. Being a homeowner grants freedom, and freedom understands responsibility. Every homeowner knows that maintaining a home isn’t easy, and can sometimes be dangerous, especially if you have to meddle with electricity. In this article, you will find safety tips that will help you minimize the risks and dangers of electrical work on your home.

1. Mind the Age

Go through the paperwork and see just how old your home is. Most homes have outdated electric installations. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean they are broken or useless, but they weren’t built to maintain all devices we use today (most of our appliances today require electricity). We suggest you do a house inspection once a year, just to make sure that your electric installations are in order.

2. Know Your Limits

Electricity is not a joke. Most people think they can handle things on their own, and it is great if they can, but if you can fix minor electrical problems in your home, that doesn’t mean you are an expert on this subject. Try to be objective, understand your limits and ask for professional help if you can’t handle the problem: it might hurt your pride, but it may save your life.

3. Understand Your Electric Panel

Distorted electric panels aren’t a rarity. Even the newer homes succumb to this problem. Also, check the brand. Brands like Federal Pacific or ITE Pushmatic stopped with the manufacturing of electric panels, and are no longer updated, regulated, etc. Also, check if your panel is overheating, which is a clear sign of some malfunction. Find the name of the brand and do the research, making sure that you have a quality electric panel.

4. The Importance of Breakers

Breakers trip if there is voltage overload in your home. However, if they switch as soon as you reset them, then there is permanent damage done to your electrical system. Sometimes the breaker itself is the problem. Nevertheless, if the breaker switches as soon as you reset it, do not reset it again, for this may cause a fire in your home.

5. Mind the Cords

Use the cords correctly and do not modify them if you don’t know how. When it comes to extension cords, use them only for a short amount of time and light work. Visually inspect the cords you plan on using, and inspect the existing cables. If there is any damage done to the wire, dispose of it or fix if it’s a minor issue.

6. Outlets

Unplug unused outlets and do not overload the outlets you are currently using. Furthermore, make sure that devices you plan on plugging in the outlet match the outlet’s specifications. Also, make sure they are situated in a safe and dry spot, and that they are distant to any flammable object.

7. Tending and Changing Light Bulbs

First and foremost, use the light bulbs of appropriate voltage. Try and use CFL bulbs, for they emit the same amount of light, less heat and require less energy. If you are changing the light bulbs, turn off the fixture, just in case, and make sure that you screw the bulb firmly.

8. Obtain a fire extinguisher

Having a fire extinguisher in your home may save your home and your life. A lot of the fires are caused by electrical outages and breaks, and these breaks can occur if the installations aren’t proper. Remember that you can never use water to extinguish the flame, and that the water and electricity are a deadly combination.

9. Appliances

When it comes to appliances, always turn them off if you plan on inspecting or fixing it. Also, make sure that the heat-emitting devices have enough space to give off that heat, thus preventing outages and fires. Naturally, use appliances with dry hands, keep them away from the water and wear rubber gloves when inspecting them.

10. Check the Switches

If the switches are loose or broken, firstly cut the power. If they are loose, use the screwdriver to fix the problem. If they are broken, replace them because the spark switches emit can cause a fire. Replacing them is straightforward, but if you aren’t confident, call the technician to replace them.

Conclusions

You can never be too careful when it comes to electricity, and following these steps will surely minimize the risk. Inspect when you can and fix where you can, but do not put your life in danger if the problem supersedes your knowledge and abilities.

The Dangers of Distracted Walking

Distracted driving is very much frowned upon but distracted walking receives far less attention. This infographic from Hussey Fraser looks at the rise in distracted walking since the advent of mobile phones and particularly smartphones. It is so common to see people walking down the street not looking where they’re going and it is responsible for 10% of pedestrian injuries.

In places of work such as building sites it is also becoming a big problem. Often people use their phone to check the internet on site and end up falling or tripping as a result. A building site is a notoriously dangerous place to begin with so it’s important to be extra careful when working there. Using phones on places like roofs can also be deadly so anyone working in the construction industry will need to be particularly vigilant.

In an ideal world you should wait to check your phone until you’re on your lunch break and if you absolutely insist on checking hold the phone up higher and look up every couple of seconds to get your bearings. See the full infographic now and stay safe.

5 Essential Steps for Creating a Comprehensive Workplace Safety Strategy

Safety in the workplace has never been more important. It doesn’t matter what size business you are, how many employees you’ve got or what industry and nature of work you’re involved in, the safety of everyone involved at every level is paramount, and failure to acknowledge this can lead you to some very serious trouble.

As horrible as it sounds, as a manager or team leader, having an avoidable death in your workplace due to negligence is not something that will sit with you lightly.

However, to avoid this happening, it means coming up with a workplace strategy plan or strategy. To get you started, here are the five steps you need to take.

#1 – State Your Commitments

The first step you need to take is to make it common knowledge that your business is committing itself to having an optimal level of workplace safety. Start by making this a company-wide value and make even adapt your business’s mission statement to reflect that safety is always a key concern.

You need to make sure that every employee you have is clear that verbal encouragement will be implemented in how to be safe, as will investigations and tests to ensure everything meets the required standard.

#2 – Accessing Your Foundations

If you haven’t already implemented some kind of workplace safety assessment, apart from the ones you have to do by law, now is the time to do so. “Start by evaluating your business to see where it currently stands and the risks that your business and employees are currently at risk to” – explains Kimberly Poisson, a Safety Manager at Resumention and Huffingtonpost contributor.

Depending on the nature of your business, there may be some things you need to look into, and others you don’t. Some areas to think about include;

• Environmental concerns (chemical, air, health risks)
• Activity-based hazards (machine operation, vehicles, computers, electronics)
• Standard workplace hazards (design flaws, the layout of the building, vehicle routes)

#3 – Create a Written Manual

Okay, you’re not going to have to write an actual book, unless you have that much to say, but you need to make sure that you’ve written a hardcopy of all the rules and safety regulations that you want your business to implement into place.

This helps your business to create accountability in the event that a safety incident does take place since you’ll be able to easily refer to the manual to see what the code of conduct was for that specific situation and identify where the problem happened.

This also helps to massively minimise the risk of miscommunication and misunderstanding, since every employee can read through the document, so everybody is on the same page.  Don’t forget to check your grammar to ensure your manual makes sense using tools like Grammarix.

You’ll also probably want to think about updating this safety manual about once a year, or if new tools, machinery or workplace factors are introduced to your workplace. When writing your safety documents, you can use online tools like State of Writing and PhD Writers to make sure your content is accurate and professional.

#4 – Education is Key

Once you’ve spent the time making sure that your written content is exactly how you want it, it’s now time to start educating everyone in your business to ensure they are all knowledgeable about everything to do with safety.

Initially, you’ll want to break everyone down into groups, so you can talk about things that are changing and the procedures that are in place. You’ll then want to revisit these groups, perhaps every six months or so, depending on your business, to make sure everybody remembers what the strategy is.

You’ll also want to make sure that every new employee that comes to your business is immediately brought up to scratch with the safety requirements of your workplace.

#5 – Implement and Analysis

Even though you’ve spent so much time bringing your strategy together, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to get things right the first time. “As situations unfold or employees come back to you with feedback, you’ll need to consider the impact of your strategy and whether things need to be improved or further evaluated” – says Jay Delima, a Recruiting consultant at Ukwritings.

This is a continuous process, especially when new people and processes are being implemented all the time.

Conclusion

As you can see, creating a workplace safety strategy from scratch doesn’t have to be a daunting or overwhelming task. Make sure you guide yourself through the process slowly and methodically to ensure that you don’t miss anything out and remember to listen to your employees since they spend most of their time in the danger zones.

Most importantly, remember that lives could be on the line, so take every step you can to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Gloria Kopp is a recruiting manager at Paper Fellows. She is writing Studydemic educational blog for students and elearners. Gloria is a blog contributor at The Tab and Australian Help.

4 Most Innovative Security Inventions That Have Changed The Face Of Home Security 

Safety will always be at the top of your priority list! Period.

The world of home security is evolving at an expected rate because of the high levels of crime. Everyone is looking for a better mousetrap to ensure the safety of their loved ones. It is difficult to feel completely secure even when you are at your home because of the many criminals cases that you read about every day. If you are not able to focus on your work or rest your mind due to such concerns, then your productivity and happiness are both altered.

It’s better to invest in top-notch security solutions than to stay worried all day long.

Don’t focus on the price, look at the benefits!

Safety Solutions

The following are some top-notch security inventions that can help you breathe in peace and serenity:

1. Video Surveillance In A Lightbulb

A light bulb connected to the Wifi with an inbuilt camera in itself sounds fascinating. All thieves know the importance of disabling the security cameras before entering the house, but what if they don’t know about the hidden cameras? Sounds like the perfect trap, right?

Many features can be added to this concept like an alarm system or a mobile app for live tracking to make it more exciting and secure.

2. Facial Recognition Bot

A facial recognition bot that recognizes a friendly face and alerts you when they scan a stranger has changed the level of home security solutions. It can be integrated with a mobile app, and every time it recognizes a stranger, it notifies you on the app, allowing you to not only track its feed live, but also to alarm the authorities when needed.

One major feature that can be added to the bot is a fire alarm system, to make your home safer.

3. Smart Bike Pedal

Tired of hearing about bike thefts? What if your bike can notify you its location and also the fitness information that you so crave to know? Smart bike pedal is an invention which takes an aluminum pedal integrated with GPS technology and Wifi, feeding the information to a mobile app installed on your phone. The bike thieves will regret their decision if they look your way. Stay safe, stay notified!

Another feature that can be added is a safety lock on the app which can lock the tires for as long as you desire, to prevent the thieves from enjoying their win.

4. Hi-tech Home Security System

Automated home security is nothing new, but have you heard about the hi-tech home security system which covers it all; from voice commands and facial recognition to infrared systems, motion sensors and security cameras, all integrated with a Wifi and operated from a mobile app. A little too much to handle, but what if the interface is straightforward and fun to use? You can turn off the lights, raise the alarms or shut down your whole house with such a security system.

Secure Your Home! Secure Your Life

The security sphere will keep on revolving and evolving because as the security solutions are enhancing, the criminals are improving too. A perfect mouse trap is still a dream, but it has been achieved to some extent with inventions like these.

Even though, these inventions are revolutionizing the world of security, but it has still not completely replaced the need for security guards because there are many venues or settings where a security guard can prove to be a better help than these security solutions.

Security will always remain a concern because everyone fears for their safety, and a calm mind is a luxury that can only be experienced with a perfect security solution.

Protecting Your Business Against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

“Casting couch” doesn’t seem to be such an archaic term anymore, does it? If anything, the last few months have shown us that sexual harassment is not just a Hollywood phenomenon. But, it took a worldwide #MeToo campaign and celebrity support for this effort at the 2018 Grammy Awards and Oscars to get people talking about it. From Harvey Weinstein to Larry Nassar and now Steve Wynn, women are speaking up even about people we would have considered untouchable a few months ago.

We Live in Interesting Times

In the wake of all these revelations, a November 2017 article in the Independent stated that powerful men have been trying to silence abused women since the Medieval Times. In fact, the article goes so far as to quote the Bible to show how men have tried to police women since time immemorial. And, they were largely successful till now.

It is social media that has finally given voice to women, says a similar November 2017 article by Praxis Legal Solutions. The article goes on to say, “Social media platforms have made public a critical mass of testimony to bad behavior that simply cannot be ignored.”

With the ancient Chinese curse coming true and bringing us really interesting times to live in, business owners need to, now more than ever before, ensure that they have a safe workplace, with the right sexual harassment policies in place. You not only need to protect vulnerable employees, you also need to protect your business, after all.

Protection Against Sexual Harassment

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment refers to any “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.” It can also include offensive remarks about a person’s gender, the EEOC says. And, if the conduct is such that it creates a hostile work environment or leads to “tangible employment action,” including promotion, firing, hiring or even demotion of an employee, the individual can file a sexual harassment claim.

It is the employer’s legal obligation to ensure that the workplace is a safe environment, not just physically but also in terms of sexual harassment. This means that you, as a business owner, need to ensure that you have a well-defined anti-harassment policy that is well publicized within the company and effectively enforced. This policy should also include a process for complaints being lodged and all such complaints being appropriately investigated.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits not just gender discrimination but sexual harassment and discrimination due to race, nationality, religion and more. Apart from this federal law, each state has its own laws against sexual harassment. The legal obligation to put in place effective anti-sexual harassment policies applies to any business that employs 15 or more people, including state and local government bodies. The federal law also applies to all employment agencies, labor organizations and federal government bodies.

It is also important to train all employees, including supervisors and managers, with training sessions being held at least on an annual basis. These sessions should inform employees about what is considered sexual harassment, their right to a harassment-free workplace, the complaint procedure and the company policies related to sexual harassment. Managers and supervisors, apart from being familiarized with all of this, also need to know how complaints are to be dealt with and what their responsibilities are in this regard, says an article by Nolo.

Creating a harassment-free work environment is only good for business. If you fail to create a safe workplace, employee morale and productivity will be low, while claims and lawsuits will be high. So, don’t become another statistic among all the sexual harassment claims being filed these days. Do your homework!