Essential Tips for Power Tool Safety

Power tools are a significant source of injuries both in the workplace and at home. Today, our Safety Training Tips Editor offers some key tips for using them safely.

Start Workers Out Safely with the Right PPE: When employees use power tools on the job or at home, they have to think about more than just safe work procedures (as important as those are). They also have to think about what kind of "Personal Protective Equipment" (PPE) they might need. For example, they'll always need to wear eye protections (most often safety goggles), but they might also need:

-- A Dust Mask

-- Gloves

-- A Face Shield

-- Hearing Protection

-- Safety Shoes

Train employees to read the manufacturer's safety instructions or to check with a supervisor before using a power tool if they're not sure which type of PPE is required to prevent injuries.

Make Sure they Power Up Properly. Power tools are handy helpers. But they can also deliver paralyzing, even deadly shocks. They can also cut off fingers, and slash, cut, and mangle flesh and bones. To keep safe when using power tools on the job or at home, train employees in these essential power tool do's and don'ts:

Do:

-- Use the right tool for the job.

-- Inspect tools before each use.

-- Make sure there are guards around points of operation and on/off switches.

-- Make sure tools are switched off before you plug them in.

-- Turn off and unplug tools before cleaning or changing parts.

-- Use three-prong grounding extension cords with equipment requiring three-prong plugs.
(Don't use three-prong cords with two-prong adapters!)

-- Remove damaged or malfunctioning power tools from service immediately.

Don't:

-- Don't put a power tool down until it has completely stopped running.

-- Don't use cords to raise or lower equipment.

-- Don't fasten cords with staples, nails, or other fasteners that could damage cord

insulation.

-- Don't plug or unplug equipment with wet or sweaty hands.

-- Don't use any tool that has a damaged casing, cord, or plug.

-- Don't continue to operate a power tool that sparks, smokes, gives a shock, or smells like it

is burning.

-- Don't get clothes or body parts near the point of operation.

-- Don't use electric power tools in wet areas unless the tools have been specially

approved for such use.

Teach these tips for power saws. Power saws are among the most commonly used power tools and they're also among the most dangerous. Train employees to take these precautions when using table and other power saws:

-- Make sure the saw blade is properly guarded to prevent contact with hands, arms, or
legs.

-- Maintain a clear view of the saw at the point of operation.

-- Pay attention to what you're doing and know where both hands are at all times.

-- When using a table saw, stand to one side to keep your body out of line with the material

being cut. Use a pusher stick to guide materials toward the saw blade, not your hand.

-- Turn off the saw and disconnect the power to make adjustments or change blades.

-- Turn off the saw between jobs or when you leave the work area, even for a short time.

-- Always wear safety goggles glasses with side shields when using a table saw.

-- Use a mask to keep from inhaling dust.

-- Keep the area around the saw clean so that you don't trip or stumble over scrap or other

materials while working.

-- Maintain the saw properly to keep it running efficiently and safely.

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Why It Matters...

-- Power tools are commonly used on the job, in home workshops, and on lawns and in

gardens.

-- There are hundreds of thousands of power tool accidents and injuries.

-- It only takes a second of inattention to lose a finger or sever an artery while using some
power tools.

-- It's a safe bet that many of your employees—if not most—use power tools at work or at

home.

Banned Medicines

Please Read Very Carefully
Inform your Family & Friends!

Pakistan and India have become a dumping ground for banned drugs; also the business for production of banned drugs is booming. Please make sure that you buy drugs only prescribed by a doctor and that also from a reputed drug store. Also, ask your doctor which company manufactures the drug he/she is prescribing, this would help to ensure that you get what is prescribed at the drug store. Not many people know about these banned drugs and consume them causing a lot of damage to themselves.

Dangerous Drugs have been globally discarded but are available in Pakistan and India.

Below is a list of Banned Drugs (alphabetically arranged)

ANALGIN: (Brand name: Novalgin)
This is a pain-killer.
Reason for ban: Bone marrow depression.

CISAPRIDE: (Brand names: Ciza, Syspride)
Acidity, constipation.
Reason for ban: irregular heartbeat

DROPERIDOL: (Brand name: Droperol)
Anti-depressant.
Reason for ban: Irregular heartbeat.

FURAZOLIDONE: (Brand names: Furoxone, Lomofen)
Antidiarrhoeal.
Reason for ban: Cancer.

NIMESULIDE: (Brand names: Nise, *Nimulid)
*most common
Painkiller, fever.
Reason for ban: Liver failure.

NITROFURAZONE: (Brand name: Furacin)
Antibacterial cream.
Reason for ban: Cancer.

PHENOLPHTHALEIN: (Brand name: Agarol)
Laxative.
Reason for ban: Cancer.

PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE: (Brand name: *D'cold, *Vicks Action-500)
*most common
Cold and cough.
Reason for ban: stroke.

OXYPHENBUTAZONE: (Brand name: Sioril)
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
Reason for ban: Bone marrow depression.

PIPERAZINE: (Brand name: Piperazine)
Anti-worms. Reason for ban: Nerve damage.

How to Hold a Difficult Conversation

If you manage people, work in Human Resources, or care about your friends at work, chances are good that one day you will need to hold a difficult conversation.

 

People dress inappropriately and unprofessionally for work. Personal hygiene is sometimes unacceptable. Flirtatious behavior can lead to a sexual harassment problem. A messy desk is not the sign of an organized mind. Unreturned pop cans do draw ants.

 

Vulgar language is unprofessional. Revealing cleavage belongs in a club, a party, or on the beach. Leaving dirty dishes for others to wash is rude.

 

Have you encountered any of these examples? They're just samples of the types of behavior that cry out for responsible feedback. These steps will help you hold difficult conversations when people need professional feedback.

Steps to Provide Feedback in a Difficult Conversation

 

    * Seek permission to provide the feedback. Even if you are the employee's boss, start by stating you have some feedback you'd like to share. Ask if it's a good time or if the employee would prefer to select another time and place. (Within reason, of course.) 

 

    * Use a soft entry. Don't dive right into the feedback - give the person a chance to brace for potentially embarrassing feedback. Tell the employee that you need to provide feedback that is difficult to share. If you're uncomfortable with your role in the conversation, you might say that, too. Most people are as uncomfortable providing feedback about an individual's personal dress or habits, as the person receiving the feedback. 

 

    * Often, you are in the feedback role because other employees have complained to you about the habit, behavior, or dress. Do not give in to the temptation to amplify the feedback, or excuse your responsibility for the feedback, by stating that a number of coworkers have complained. This heightens the embarrassment and harms the recovery of the person receiving feedback. 

 

    * The best feedback is straightforward and simple. Don't beat around the bush. I am talking with you because this is an issue that you need to address for success in this organization. 

 

    * Tell the person the impact that changing his or her behavior will have from a positive perspective. Tell the employee how choosing to do nothing will affect their career and job. 

 

    * Reach agreement about what the individual will do to change their behavior. Set a due date - tomorrow, in some cases. Set a time frame to review progress in others. 

 

    * Follow-up. The fact that the problem exists means that backsliding is possible; further clarification may also be necessary. Then, more feedback and possibly, disciplinary action are possible next steps.

 

You can become effective at holding difficult conversations. Practice and these steps will help build your comfort level to hold difficult conversations. After all, a difficult conversation can make the difference between success and failure for a valued employee. Care enough to hold the difficult conversation.

 

By Susan M. Heathfield

Liberating Passion in the Workplace

The best organizations seek passionate people. Why? Because passionate commitment converts talent into stellar performance. And apathy, as passion's antithesis, directly decreases any return on investment of people's energies and abilities.

Passion is natural. Capable people abound with it, at least in the areas of their talent. If passion is lacking at work, it's because companies have become institutionalized "passion killers," through mediocre leadership practices, dysfunctional teams, poor communication, and dispiriting work cultures.

Leadership is about how we relate, how we engage each other, the respect we have for each other, and the quality and candor of our communication. To avoid quelling passion, we must employ passion liberators, the most encompassing of which is the creation of authentic relationships.

All passion liberators emphasize how we relate to each other. Let's look at three that are critical:

1. Intimacy. This may sound like a strange word to use in the workplace, but we can't be enthusiastic about our work or effective on a team if we don't get to know our teammates। By letting people know who we are, what turns us on or off, our priorities as well as our peeves, our strong points and our anxieties, we remove our masks of defensiveness. Instead of using our energies to create a charade of mutual cover-ups, we devote them to leveraging our best qualities, coping with our worst, and transcending individual limits through collective breakthroughs of relevance and importance to the business.
   
   
2. Protecting Possibility. One of the demonstrable attributes of globally successful leaders is the ability to face complex facts and realities while simultaneously retaining a sense of possibility. Call it "creative reality engagement."
   
   We destroy passion when we ignore reality or downplay evident challenges. Also destructive is using "reality" as an excuse for our failed imagination or inadequate will. What we need to foster in our companies and teams is the ability to grasp reality quickly, face it squarely, and understand its dimensions. Essential to this process, however, is the ability to transform reality and even "provoke" it in the direction of our vision.
   
   The leaders we admire invent new possibilities but, emotionally, they accept the realities they face at the outset। John F. Kennedy, for example, had to persuade Americans to accept the dominance of Soviet technology and space exploration in order to galvanize a successful response. Steve Jobs had to acknowledge Apple's long-time, moribund business results in order to engineer a magnificent turnaround.
   
   
3. Coaching Growth. Once we have succeeded in instituting the first two passion liberators we must coach growth; that is, confront and encourage each other to grow in the ways that will facilitate the achievement of our shared vision.
   
   One aspect of coaching growth is awareness of the behaviors we have to improve in order to work more effectively with others. However, coaching growth runs deeper than behaviors. If we truly want to engage our colleagues' passion, we must commit to each other's success and, ultimately, to a shared win. When team members feel and express a deep commitment to each other, both passion and results abound.

Make a vow that you'll encourage your managers to become passion igniters, never passion killers. If you encourage them to implement these common sense passion liberators, with the philosophy of helping others to succeed, the payoff will be an engaged workforce and a healthier bottom line.

By Omar Khan

Baby Sleep: Help Your Baby Sleep through the Night

If you haven't had a good night's sleep since your baby was born, you're not alone. Sleepless nights are a rite of passage for most new parents. But don't despair. You can help your baby sleep all night. Honestly!

Developing a Rhythm

Newborns sleep 16 or more hours a day, but often in stretches of just one to two hours at a time. Although the pattern may be erratic at first, a more consistent sleep schedule will emerge as your baby's nervous system matures and he or she goes longer between feedings.

By age 3 months, many babies sleep up to five hours during the night. By age 6 months, nighttime stretches of nine to 12 hours are possible.

Encouraging Good Sleep Habits

For the first few months, middle-of-the-night feedings are sure to disrupt sleep for parents and babies alike. But it's never too soon to help your baby become a good sleeper.

• Encourage Activity during the Day. When your baby is awake, engage him or her by talking, singing and playing. Surround your baby with light and normal household noises. Such stimulation during the day can help promote better sleep at night.
  
• Monitor Your Baby's Naps. Regular naps are important — but sleeping for large chunks of time during the day may leave your baby wide awake at bedtime.
  
• Follow a Consistent Bedtime Routine. Try relaxing favorites such as bathing, cuddling, singing or reading. Soon your baby will associate these activities with sleep. If you play bedtime music, choose the same tunes each time you put your baby in the crib.
  
• Put Your Baby to Bed Drowsy but Awake. This will help your baby associate bed with the process of falling asleep. Remember to place your baby to sleep on his or her back, and clear the crib or bassinet of blankets and other soft items.
  
• Give your Baby Time to Settle Down. Your baby may fuss or cry before finding a comfortable position and falling asleep. If the crying doesn't stop, speak to your baby calmly and stroke his or her back. Your reassuring presence may be all your baby needs to fall asleep.
  
• Consider a Pacifier. If your baby has trouble settling down, a pacifier might do the trick. In fact, using a pacifier during sleep may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But there are pitfalls, too. If your baby uses a pacifier to sleep, you may face frequent middle-of-the-night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth.
  
• Expect Frequent Stirring At Night. Babies often wriggle, squirm and twitch in their sleep. They can be noisy, too. Sometimes fussing or crying is simply a sign of settling down. Unless you suspect that your baby is hungry or uncomfortable, it's OK to wait a few minutes to see what happens.
  
• Keep Nighttime Care Low-Key. When your baby needs care or feeding during the night, use dim lights, a soft voice and calm movements. This will tell your baby that it's time to sleep — not play.
  
• Respect Your Baby's Preferences. If your baby is a night owl or an early bird, you might want to adjust routines and schedules based on these natural patterns.

Keeping It In Perspective

Some babies sleep for long stretches at night right from the start, only waking for feedings. Others have trouble lulling themselves back to sleep. Take as much time as you need to understand your baby's schedule and ways of communicating.

If you're frustrated with your baby's sleeping habits — especially if your baby still needs attention several times during the night by age 6 months — ask your baby's doctor for suggestions.

Remember, getting your baby to sleep through the night isn't a measure of your parental skills. It's simply a goal you're working toward. The result will be a good night's sleep Everyone.

When Your Shoes Don't Fit

In the past I would wear any type of shoe, including high heels, clogs and other fashionable, but uncomfortable shoes. Now I find myself selecting shoes, not so much for their appearance, but by whether they will allow me to stand for eight hours as I conduct daylong seminars.

Many times we buy shoes, not for their fit and comfort, but based on how good they look. There are aspects of our lives that are aptly described by the shoe analogy. We see a nice looking pair of (currently stylish) shoes. We ask to try them on and find that the store is out of that particular style in our size. We may insist that they bring another size and we try to make that size work because we really want those shoes NOW! Or, perhaps the store may have them in our size and although they don't feel right, we still buy and wear them, regardless of the pain.

Often we may select our friends, our relationships, our jobs or other aspects of our lives with the same mentality. They may not fit and they may pinch, but they look good to others.

Take a job that does not fit. The title may be impressive, the benefits may be good, and the pay may be respectable, but every day we go to work at a job or a company that does not fit. We may find ourselves pinched, constrained, rubbed the wrong way or blistered.

Perhaps we have chosen friends who are too restricted in their thinking, which does not meet our desire to have a more tolerant and positive view of the world. We may even be involved in a personal relationship with someone whose constricting demands may keep us from moving forward with our personal growth. Other people may bind us by their personal fears in an attempt to keep us as small as they may feel.

Why do we do these things? Often the response to that question is, "because they or it looks so good." Should it be so important to us to be admired by others that we will suffer pain and discomfort in our lives?

So what is a person to do? Select your shoes carefully, being concerned first of all for the fit. Understand also that our feet do grow as we grow older. If you try to fit your size 8 foot into a size 7 shoe just because you have always worn a size 7, be prepared for your feet's rebellious response.

If you are working in the same job, which you have outgrown and which brings you no pleasure, try expanding it into a better fitting position. If you are in a relationship with a person because he or she (or the situation) looks good but brings you no happiness, find a way to work with that person to make the relationship beneficial for both.

Affirmation:
"If the shoe fits, I will wear it. If it does not, I will measure my feet and my expectations to determine if my needs have outgrown my former shoe size."

Ten Things Great Bosses Know

There are all kinds of bosses. Some of them are great. I hope you're one of them, or the person you work for is. Here's my take on the art of being a great boss, including links to help you learn even more.

 

Ten Things Great Bosses Know:

 

1. The Most Important Thing Bosses Do Is Help OTHERS Succeed:

This sounds simple, but bosses got promoted because of their personal achievements. Now, they have to shift the focus from themselves to the growth of those who report to them. In other words, it's not about YOU, boss. It's about the troops. If they do well, you should, too.

 

2. Managers Cannot Treat Everyone The Same:

Great bosses learn how to customize their approach to each person. Yes, they hold true to core values, but don't assume that they have to act in identical ways with each staffer. They manage people as the complex individuals they are. And that's a real skill.

 

3. IQ Gets Bosses Only So Far; EQ Takes Them to The Next Level:

I'm talking about emotional intelligence: the ability to be self-aware, self-managing, socially aware and adept at managing relationships. This means knowing how to read the emotions of others as well as our own, to know how to power up or power down in synch with a situation, to build trust through expertise, integrity and empathy.

 

4. People Fall In Love With Ideas & Solutions Of Their Own Creation:

It's faster and easier to tell people what to do; but when people come up with their own ideas, they are much more invested in them. Anyone who's ever assigned stories knows this one. Journalists love the project they come up with more than the one that's given them. When we put our personal stamp on something, we care more about it. This applies in work assignments, negotiation and conflict resolution.

 

5. Coaching Is A Critical Skill:

Bosses who "fix" the work of others don't help them grow. Fixing may be faster, but has short-term impact. Coaching takes more time but the results last. Fixing is about the product, coaching is about the person. With good coaching, the person and the product improve.

 

6. Staffers Must See You, Not Your Evil Twin:

What's the difference between visionary and delusional, a roll-up-my-sleeves helper and a micromanager, or between confidence and arrogance? It's often in the the way the leader communicates and the staff perceives her. Leaders can't assume their employees can read their minds. It's hard work to make your intentions clear.

 

7. Conflict Doesn't Get Better If It Is Ignored:

The best bosses build cultures where conflict may be inevitable among smart, creative people, but it is handled extremely well. Differences are aired, values are clear, people are held accountable, and bullies don't win.

 

8. Intrinsic Motivation Is The Most Powerful.

The best work gets done when people motivate themselves. That's intrinsic motivation: Internal engines like competence, choice, meaningfulness and progress. Or the joy of working with a team, or achieving something solo. Great bosses know what drives each person they lead.

 

9. Managing Change Is A Constant Responsibility:

Change can make people very uncomfortable, but leaders must move people in new directions, toward new opportunities. Today's newsrooms are undergoing massive changes of culture, workflow, skill sets, formats and technology. Great leaders build bridges to the future.

 

10. Leaders Inspire Others:

There's meaning, honor and dignity in every form of honest work. Don't fear that you will look corny by sharing a vision, a passion, or a dream. The best bosses make us feel better about ourselves, our work and our goals. Dare to inspire.