Tag: Workers

Avoid Health Hazards At Work

A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. While we go to work to earn a living, there are also multiple health hazards depending on the workplace. There’s a lot of planning that management has to think about to prevent these hazards. The following contributed post is entitled, Avoid Health Hazards At Work.

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There are many hazards that can occur in the workplace and if they are not properly dealt with, it could cause a big problem and you could be paying out for compensation, insurance and more. Offices will contain health and safety hazards which need to be monitored and controlled, even outside the office. For example if you have poor paving and someone trips and breaks their ankle, you need to ensure that you have a good working environment outside also. Looking at concrete replacement could be something for you to look at https://www.keflatwork.com/concrete-repair-replacement/ to ensure that your paving is perfect.

Photo: Pixabay

But inside the workplace, you will certainly find that offices need to have hazards identified and there must be risk assessments carried out to be sure that the right measures are in place and can be implemented just in case something occurs. You must secure your office http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigWordsBlogSite/~3/nA54f2JImMg/. Here are the most common things and hazards that you will find inside the office:

● Poor or inadequate lighting, people could trip, fall, drop things
● Ergonomic hazards;
● Extremes of temperature, if the heating is broken, it could lead to cold-related illnesses or vice versa for hot.
● Manual handling hazards which may include machinery
● Tripping and falling hazards such as poor placement of furniture, boxes being left or equipment not properly stored.
● Electrical hazards, sockets, wires, poor electrical systems that aren’t tested etc.
● Contagious illnesses spread by sick workers, because workers feel they cannot stay home and take a sick day for fear of getting behind or leaving other workers in the lurch
● Fire hazards, poor fire exits, or none at all, no real route to get out of the way should there be a fire
● Chemical hazards, cleaning products or any toxic products left around or not stored properly, or falling into the wrong hands.
● Stress hazards such as high stress jobs, tight deadlines and poor working environments that can make people suffer stress and anxiety. Stress at work is a huge thing as you can read about further here https://qz.com/work/1443824/stress-at-work-is-a-dangerous-health-hazard/

All health and safety hazards must be properly identified, and then you will need to ensure that there is a risk assessed and that then you can implement the new rules and regulations to keep your workers safe. To do this you need to look at the likelihood of the risks causing any serious injury and then prove that you have put the necessary things in place to stop them from occurring. Workers may file a complaint if this is not done or things don’t change, after all they too want to protect themselves from issues within the workplace.

Then, once the systems are implemented, you must control the measures, keep an eye on them and monitor them closely as it is essential that you keep on top of them all to ensure that they remain effective for some time and that nothing is sliding back into old ways. Moving forwards will help everyone and ensure a more productive workspace, inside and outside of the working office. You can find more information online about how to implement this but it’s also best to assess yourself first.

Why Our World Needs Social Work in 2020

A key focus of my blog is Career Discussions. While there is a current push for careers in the STEMs, one career that will always be needed is that of social work. Social workers do a lot of society’s “grunt work” as they tend to problems and issues down on the personal and familial levels. The following contributed post is entitled, Why Our World Needs Social Work in 2020.

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Although society is improving more each day, social work is still important in 2020. Social workers stand up every day for human rights and social justice to help strengthen our communities. Social workers can be a voice for those without a voice, or those nobody wants to listen to. They help to tackle serious social issues, and can help to come up with solutions allowing people to live to their full potential.

Why Our World Needs Social Work in 2020

The Poverty Line
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 15% of Americans live below the poverty line. People living in poverty need social workers to help them cope with the overwhelming challenges of homelessness, unemployment, underemployment, and poor health.

Mental Illness
With that in mind, it’s also important to note that many families are suffering from mental illness. Around 20% of the US population are affected by mental illness during any given year. For people who struggle with mood disorders, anxiety, psychoses, substance abuse, and other serious forms of mental illness, social workers are imperative.

Child Abuse And Neglect
Social workers must also address broader social and public policy issues that increase the risk of child abuse and neglect, including poverty, unemployment, and homelessness.

While our world still very much needs social work in 2020, it isn’t always easily accessible for those in rural areas. The infographic below can provide more insight into social work in rural areas and what can be done.


credit to University of Nevada Reno

Making Your Office A Healthier Place

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. No matter what type of organization you’re running, you want to make the work environment as healthy and friendly to your employees as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, Making Your Office A Healthier Place.

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Whether you are trying to encourage motivation and productivity in your company, or job satisfaction in your employees, making the office where everyone works into a more healthy environment can be very beneficial. In fact, there are several different tactics you can use. A topic you can find out more about in my post below.

A light and bright environment.

Studies show that human do less well in environments that are dark and dingy. What this means is that if you want your office to be a healthier space you really need to make it as light and bright as possible. Happily, there are multiple ways of doing this so even if you are stuck in the basement office you can still get a lighter and brighter feel.

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One option is to maximize the amount of natural light that flows into the room. Something that can be done by installing additional windows, skylights, and even sun tubes which are channels that redirect natural light to areas without it.

Of course, if none of these things are an option then painting the wall white to reflect as much light as possible and installing natural looking artificial lights can help too. The same goes for lighter toned furniture and fittings.

You can even further enhance the look of your office by adding plants too. Something that can provide a much more green, and more oxygenated atmosphere to complement the light and airy space you have created.

Standing desks and office exercise equipment.

Next, there is a considerable trend towards standing, and variable height office desks at the moment and this is because it can help to break up all the sedentary sitting behavior that offices are so infamous for. In fact, standing for just a small portion of each day can reinvigorate your workforce, and health them to be healthier overall.

Additionally, adding in office exercise equipment like under desk cycles, posture ball seats, and even steppers can make a massive positive difference to employee health. This is because not only will employees gain the endorphin boost from working out, but it will ensure that the blood is being pumped around their system efficiently. Something that can help with concentration and performance as well as make them a lot happier in the workplace as well.

Outdoor working areas.

The next change that you can make around the office is to include some outdoor areas for your employees to use. I’m not just talking about a single picnic table for smokers or those eating lunch here either. Instead, why not consider installing some outdoor areas in which people can take their laptops and work, or even have meetings?

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Break out areas outside can be fantastic for employee well being.

After all, getting outside into the sunlight and fresh air can have numerous health benefits such as increased vitamin D absorption. Not to mention that the opportunity to get away from their desk is bound to make most people at least 50% happier at work, with minimal effort.

Offering refreshment options.

Next, when it comes to healthy eating in the office, you can run into some issues. The problem is that you don’t want to end up prescribing what your employees can eat and drink. Oh, and the fact that if you ban caffeine, you may well just have a riot on your hands.

Happily, there is an alternative that can work wonder and its to use a company like Associated Coffee that will also deliver fresh, healthy and customized snacks to your business for your workers to consume. All along with your beverage order.

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In fact, if you are feeling particularly generous, you can include such beverages and snacks options as part of the benefits that you offer to employees free of charge. Something that means not only will your workers be eating the right thing to stay healthy, happy, and productive at work, but you’ll get the extras credit and employee satisfaction associated with offering such an added bonus as well.

A nap zone.

OK, so a nap zone might sound as if its something for preschool or a nursery rather than a professional workplace, but that isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, studies have shown that short naps or medications where employees can relax their mind and think of something other than the problem they are working on can be incredibly effective.

Of course by providing things like nap pods and bean bag beds, as well as pillow and blankets your business will be recognized by your employer for its forward-thinking, and focus on wellbeing too. It really is a win-win.

Stay goodbye to open plan offices.

Open plan offices can be bad for employee wellbeing.

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While many employers prefer an open plan set out, it is often the case that employees don’t. In fact, many people feel as if they are on show, or being watched. Something that, rather having a positive effect on employee morale and productivity, can damage it instead.

In fact, for some workers that rate highly on the introversion scale, an open plan office can be seriously damaging to their mental health. To that end, if you want your office to be a healthier place, it’s essential to have alternative working arrangements that are available to all employees.

Office wellness schemes.

Finally, you can also make your office a healthier space by devising and implementing particular wellness schemes. The idea of these is that they are small initiatives that can make a big difference to your employees’ physical and mental health.

In particular, many businesses find that it’s beneficial to offer yoga classes during the workday that are subsidized by the company. Something that cannot only help workers to beat stress but also help to protect them from strain and injuries that working at a desk in set position can cause as well.

Of course, there really is no limit to the type of things you can do in office well scheme from offering counseling and conflict resolution services, to providing blanks and earphones that allow people to get cozier at their desks. Just remember that as long as it promotes your workers emotional, physical, and mental health and they are onboard, then it’s probably a smart idea for creating a healthier office environment.