Merry Xmas and Happy new year

This is wishing you all a very good xmas and a prosperous and fulfilling year 2008.

There is a great destiny to achieve in 2008...and you have got to fulfil this!

See you at the TOP!!!

Principles of Workplace Safety

A properly managed safety culture based on tested principles of workplace safety will produce employees who participate actively in training, identify and alert one another and management to potential hazards, developing and suggesting effective control measures and feel a sense of responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. Accepting safety as a responsibility demonstrates a sincere concern for each employee, which establishes the foundation for an effective safety culture.

These principles are:

• Safety is an Ethical Responsibility
• Safety is a Culture Not a Program
• Management is Responsible
• Employees Must Be Trained to Work Safely
• Safety is a Condition of Employment
• All Injuries Are Preventable
• Safety Programs Must Be Site Specific with Recurring Audits of the Workplace and Prompt Corrective Action
• Safety is Good Business

Each of these principles will be discussed later in this blog... So watch out!

Remember, Safety is a responsibility and it starts from YOU!

Festive Season Safety and Security Tips

Top tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable festive season

Christmas is a time for celebration and we want to ensure that everyone enjoys themselves but unfortunately it is also a busy time for burglars and thieves.
The following precautions, if taken, could mean a lot of differences between life and .....!

• Be alert to the possibility of a thief snatching your handbag or mobile phone.
• Don't keep all your money in one place.
• Don't leave gifts inside the car for all to see, take them with you or lock them in the boot out of sight.
• Be vigilant around ATM machines when taking out cash. Consider using your switch card and getting cash back.
• When parking your car, park in a well-lit area and/or in an attended car park.
• In the home, don't leave Christmas presents for all to see.
• When going out – ensure doors and windows are locked and secured.
• Never leave car keys and handbags downstairs at night.
• Identify all callers at the door – if in doubt – keep them out.
• Don't keep Christmas cash in the house – use Banks, Building Societies or Post Offices.

In addition to this, I would also ask people to remember a few vital points on a night out or at a Christmas party:

• If you are going to drink, drink responsibly.
• Plan your journey home in advance.
• Stay in well lit areas.
• Don't become separated from your friends.
• Never accept a drink from someone you don't know.
• Always have enough money to get yourself home.
• Don't walk through areas you are unsure of.
• Never drink and drive.

On a last note, Have a fun-filled celebration and remember to make a firm commitment to be part of year 2008...it's a choice you have to make...consciously!

Welcome Back!

Waoh!!! It's been almost a month since my vacation... very glad to be back to work! Yes! Work! I am sure a good number of people may be wondering why i am glad to be back to work. Well, the simple answer is because i enjoy my work. This is not just one of those statements. I truly do enjoy every bit of my work, which is ensuring that people work and live safely! It's always a great pleasure helping people to work in a safe way.

It's festive season and while wishing you all a beautiful xmas, i must also let you know that hazards of the season are numerous! Please have fun safely and determine to be a part of 2008, in good health and complete piece.

Enjoy yourself & stay Safe!

Accidents on our Roads

Let me start my postings on this site with the issue of road safety, which has become a nightmare in this part of the world - Nigeria. The truth is i have seen too many consequences of poor safety culture and behaviour on the roads that i am almost left with the conclusion that surviving on roads is an issue of survival of the fittest or rather the luckiest. For some of us who have either experienced an accident on the road either as an actor or a witness, what i am trying to say here will make lots of sense.

Lagos - Ibadan expressway is one road that i use so frequently in spite of the numerous hazards and carelessness displayed by users of the road. Do i have a choice? May be or may be not! Recently, another accident occurred on the road as usual and by the time the news filtered into the society, many lives were gone...wasted resources - lost forever!

I passed through the spot of the accident last week and the sight of the destruction caused by fire was horrible. Although the charred and burnt bodies of humans were no longer there, the number of vehicles trapped and burnt beyond recognition can only bring back the memories of the number of people who must have lost their lives in that one second mistake by at least one of the drivers involved in the accident. I have attached a picture of this in this posting.

This brings to the fore one of our cardinal statement in safety - every accident could have been prevented by at least one party involved in it. This accident must have been caused by a chain of many factors, but there is definitely something that could have been done, either to prevent it or to mitigate the effects.

To the safety personnel, one question readily comes to mind whenever this sort of accident happens: What can be done to prevent recurrences? I am sure this question is rarely asked and if asked, not answered by the concerned parties , but you and I have got a duty to ensure that this does not occur next time either to us or others through creative and safe decisions. Some of the actions may include driving at controllable and legal speed limits, avoiding night and drunk driving, practising defensive driving skills, etc.

There is a question that i always ask and would like to leave you all with: if all things and conditions are equal and constant, between a safe - defensive driver driving a bad car and an unsafe-careless driver driving a good car, who would you prefer to ride with?

Lets have your contributions and comments on this. I am sure we can help each other stay alive on our roads with our constructive ideas.