Safety measure in the home, school and workplaces

Meaning of Safety

Safety is the state of being safe. It is the condition of being protected against physical, social, financial, political, emotional and occupational hazard. Safety in the environment involves taking every precaution to ensure that the environment is safe for us to live in.

Reasons for Safety in the Environment

Reasons for safety in the environment include the following:-

1. A safe environment is a hazard-free environment.
2. To sustain the environment so that present and future generations can be supported by the environment.
3. To preserve natural beauty of our environment.
4. To reduce health-related risks in order to prolong life.

The need for safety is very important as it would to a large extent reduce the accident rates at home, school and working place.

Safety Measures in the Home, School and Workplace

Safety Measures at Home

1. The home and its surroundings should be kept clean always by sweeping the floor and clearing the bushes.
2. Dangerous household utensils such as knife and cutlass should be kept out of the reach of children.
3. Electrical faults should be handled by the experts.
4. Broken glasses, bottles and plastics should be carefully disposed by burying them.
5. The home should be well ventilated.
6. To prevent fire outbreak, the use of candle at home should be used with caution.
7. A generator should never be placed inside a house.
8. The drainage should be clean and unused water containers should be disposed off to avoid breeding of mosquitoes.
9. A well stocked first aid kit to deal with emergencies should be available.
10. Avoid playing with cooking gas.

What to Do if a Cooking Gas Cylinder Leaks

1. Open the windows.
2. Evacuate the house, especially children and the elderly.
3. Never ignite any match stick or light any type of fire.
4. Do not turn on electrical switch (A tiny spark from the switch is enough to ignite fire).
5. Take out the leaking cylinder and put it in open air

What to Do in Case of Fire Outbreak

1. Put out the flame with sand and/or water, but do not use water to put off an electrical fire.
2. Never run if you clothes are on fire. It will only fan the fire. To douse your clothes of fire, roll on the floor. Better still, wrap yourself with woollen blank and roll on the floor. Tie a wet cloth around your face. Crawl along the floor to escape. Remember the air at the ground level is cleaner as hot air and smoke rise upwards.

Safe Use of Electricity at Home

1. Do not attach too many appliances on a single socket. It will overheat the wires and cause short circuit.
2. Do not touch any electric switch or appliance with wet hands as water is a good conductor of electricity and will cause a shock.
3. Wires should not pass through the door frames as constant opening and closing of doors will damage the wire covering.
4. Never remove plugs from the socket by pulling the wire. Pull out the plug itself.
5. Old and worn out wiring should be changed promptly. All electrical appliances should have earth connection. For this, three pin plug should be used. ‘Earthing’ makes appliances relatively safer to use.
6. No electric wire should cross any heating device.
7. Electrical socket should not be directly exposed to water to prevent electrocution.
8. Wear rubber slippers while handling electrical appliances.
9. Keep electrical appliances on a wooden board as wood is a bad conductor of electricity.

Safety Measures at School

1. The school building must be well constructed with the right materials to prevent it from collapsing.
2. School laboratory should have apartments or cabinets where dangerous chemicals are kept and locked up. Students should be guided by a teacher during practical classes.
3. A well-stocked first aid kit should be available in the school.
4. Students should be properly monitored during sporting activities by a sport specialists.
5. Physical fight between students should attract strict penalty and the students should be well informed about this.

Safety Measures at Work

The nature of safety measures at workplace depends on the produce of the company. The labour laws in Nigeria emphasize the need for safety measures at workplace.

1. Workers should be properly trained before handling any instrument that can cause bodily harm.
2. Naked light should be kept away from inflammable materials.
3. A factory or workplace should have a safety manager.
4. Workers should be properly educated on safety measures peculiar to their work place.
5. Electrical works should be carefully done and handled by experts.
6. Employees must wear body and eye protective covering when needed. Welders, machinists, carpenters, and factory workers may encounter work that can be harmful to the eyes if protective coverings are not worn.
7. A worker should have a health care unit with a well-stocked first aid kit and medical personnel.
8. Make sure appropriate ventilation is available at the workplace. Fumes from certain materials may cause damage if proper safety is not followed.

EVALUATION

1. What is safety?
2. Why is safety important at home, school and workplace?
3. List three causes of road accident.
4. State two accidents at home.
5. List 3 safety measures at school.
6. List three safety measures at home.
7. Suggest urgent actions to take in case of sudden fire outbreak.