A FIRST AID KIT; DO YOU HAVE ONE?

Picture of a fully fitted first aid kit, taken in a clinic's recuperation area somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 

A was snoring peacefully one night, probably dreaming of the next serious and major big break in my life when my wife shook me rather too violently, forcing me to abandon my pleasant sojourn in dream's wonderland and come back to the harshness of reality. I was vexed. I was vexed because I love my sleep and do not take kindly to being woken up suddenly from it, but when I saw the sad and concerned look on her face, I quickly brightened up my countenance, forced a reassuring smile to quickly cross my face, and then asked her what the problem was. She told me that my son's forehead was terribly hot! I felt his head and remembered that I had a cold-pack in my first aid box, I grabbed it fast, read the instructions and followed them meticulously, applying the now cold-pack on my boy's forehead. In a matter of minutes, his temperature started to drop. It did not rise again until the next morning when we took him to see a physician, who said he was just reacting to the vaccination shots he got for his 9th month immunization. 

The first aid box had come in handy, because without it, the boys temperature may have continued to rise and we would have been compelled to drive out of the house in the middle of the night in search of medical assistance.  This is exactly what a first aid box does, it preserves and sustains life until medical help comes. Imagine that your son fell while practicing his football skills outside, and then starts to bleed, what would you do if you do not have a first aid box kit? Some may try to stop the bleeding by placing a dirty piece of cloth on it, whereas a gauze or sterilized cotton wool from the first aid box could have been used to stop the bleeding, before cleaning it with methylated spirit, and dressing it with plaster. There are many other small accidents that can happen at home that first aid boxes can help prevent from causing life threatening illnesses.

First aid boxes are not expensive, and are generally easy to maintain or replenish. 

The items required for a basic first aid box are: sterilized cotton wool, methylated spirit, iodine, an antiseptic, plaster, crepe- bandages, triangular bandages, plastic tweezers, a pair of scissors, disposable rubber gloves, disposable nose masks, insect sting ointment, safety pins, pain killers, thermometer, aspirin, oral rehydration salts, and dermazine ointment. It is important that you also understand what the items are used for. For more information on the importance of keeping a first aid kit handy at home, the basic contents of a first aid box, and how to use the contents of a first aid box, am sure that the kind folks at +American Red Cross, +Red Cross Training, +New Zealand Red Cross, +RedCrossENC +Emergency Response USA, +SeniorDevices EmergencyResponse, +Emergency Medical Associates, +Emergency Medicine Physicians, +bagudodivision nigerianredcross, +canadianredcross, +HealthCare.gov, +Paramedic Association of Canada, +paramedicalshop.com, +Paramedics Unlimited, +Paramedic Training Spot, +Paramedic Aid Co. Ltd, +Paramedic Help, +World Health Organization, and +EMERGENCY may be willing to answer your questions.

All content provided on this "Safety: The preservation of mankind and nature" blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner of chukwuemekaonwuka.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. This terms and conditions is subject to change at any time with or without notice.

Onwuka Chukwuemeka,

Health Safety & Environment,

Procter & Gamble |  Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria  | +2347043319172 | +2348057044512

… even on our worse nights, the sun eventually rises.

BAD ROLE MODEL

                      This picture shows a Federal Road Safety vehicle moving at top speed with an agent sitting dangerously behind

A colleague of mine came to work uncharacteristically late one Thursday afternoon, so I asked him why he came in late. He was sweating from the severe effects of the hot Ibadan sun and was still trying to catch his breath. He eventually composed himself well enough and told me that he was arrested by members of the Federal Road Safety Corps. This is usual, especially if you drive without a seatbelt in Nigeria. So I asked him what his offense was even though I knew what the answer would be already. He told me that he stopped off the road enroute to the office to drop off a friend and forgot to put his seatbelt back on, and also went on to narrate to me how the federal officers stopped him, asked him a pay a certain amount of money he did not have, forced him to drive the car back to their station when he could not, deflated all four of his tyres, and asked him to go to a very very far away financial institution to pay a fine. He was exhausted by the time he was done paying the fine. Then when his vehicle was released to him, he could not find a technician, locally referred to as a vulcanizer to fix the tyres, by the time he eventually got one, he had spent almost all of his time at the federal road safety corps station.I scolded my friend for not driving with his seatbelt on and told him to endeavour never to drive without them. I also went ahead to explain the importance of driving with a seatbelt to him. As a matter of fact, I am so obsessed with driving with my seat belt properly fastened on that my son would not even let me move the car without them. 

However, just some days after my friend's encounter with the federal road safety officers, I saw a federal road safety corps vehicle speeding down a major road with an officer sitting on the trunk of the mini van's bed. If the driver brakes suddenly, the officer will definitely lose his front teeth at a minimum. Now, with this type of behavior, the federal road safety corps officers involved here have clearly not demonstrated the right road safety standards that they themselves preach and arrest other road users for violating. They have not been a good role model worthy of emulating. The best way to develop a safety culture and awareness in people is to show them how by doing the right thing. Not demonstrating the right safety culture as leaders make us forfeit our rights to confront unsafe behaviors. My plea to us today is to seek to know the right safety cultures and practice them. It does not stop there, encourage others to practice the right safety cultures too, but not leading by example will make this impossible. Be safe out there, and be the best safety role model that you can be.

For questions on how to be a good safety role model, as well as for questions on road safety rules, expectations and laws, I am sure that the kind folks at +Business Leaders’ Health & Safety Forum, +Public Safety Thought Leadership, +Safety Leader Insight, +Center for Public Safety Command and Leadership, +Safety & Leadership, +Center for Public Safety Command and Leadership, +Road Safety Practices in Nigeria, +Road Safety Initiatives LLP, +Road Safety Initiative, +Road Safety Fund, +road safety consultancy, +Road Safety 360, +Road Safety Decade 2011-2020, +Road Safety Contracts Ltd, +FederalRoad SafetyCorps, +Mark Sadan, and +Christy Minch may be willing to answer your questions. 

All content provided on this "Safety: The preservation of mankind and nature" blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner of chukwuemekaonwuka.blogspot.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. This terms and conditions is subject to change at any time with or without notice.

Onwuka Chukwuemeka,

Health Safety & Environment,

Procter & Gamble |  Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria  | +2347043319172 | +2348057044512

… even on our worse nights, the sun eventually rises.

NO NEED FOR SPEED!

Picture showing the speedometer of a vehicle involved in a near accident recently.

People who are used to pushing the speed limits of machines often mock those who say they are very uncomfortable with driving at ridiculous speeds. More so, it is now a form of social acclaim to have the nerve to drive fast. Imagine a man driving down a highway at top speed. He is used to the road and knows the bends and curves so well. He also knows that the local government does a good work of patching the roads so well that he has never seen a ditch in the middle of this particular highway before. So it's a Friday evening and he has to get home to his family and decides to wing it. He steps on the gas and is soon tearing down the highway at 120km/hr. Then suddenly, as he emerges from a curve, he sees some goats crossing the highway and he unconsciously hits his breaks in a desperate attempt to avoid hitting the goats. The car swings uncontrollably to the left and then to the right, and then to the left again before heading into the bushes! Imagine the loss of life, or the loss of property if he survives, then imagine the family anxiously waiting for him at home.

These days, there are many motion pictures, media adverts, and video game franchises that promote speed, and there are individuals who love to move as fast as the limits of certain machines will permit them to. Some people claim that they actually experience a certain metaphorical spiritual high each time they push their cars or power motocycles to the limits. Others say that they experience a sense of freedom at top speed, hence the need for more speed. The need for speed is rapidly increasing. While some drive fast as a form or recreation, others do so because everybody is in a mad hurry to be somewhere these days. This need or craving for speed is dangerous and may result to death.

According to Stephen D. (September 24, 2012), the FRSC- Federal Road Safety Corp, the Nigerian Agency in charge of road safety, statistics show that in the first half of the year 2012, about 1,936 people lost their lives in road accidents across Nigeria. These accidents may be attributed to reckless driving, bad roads, inavailability of street lights, among other things. Road users do not have any influence on bad roads, and street lights, but can influence reckless driving.

There are various speed limits recommended by different states around the world for all kinds of roads. Residential areas, highways, major roads, commercial roads, and so on. I personally try never to drive beyond 80 Km/hr on highways, but will suggest that road users should follow the state or area speed limits recommended. These speed limits are usually clearly posted on the roads, look out for them and other road safety signs and be safe out there. There really is no need for top speed in real life, we will all get to our destinations, eventually, even if we drive carefully. Plan your time carefully, leave home early to avoid traffic jams and maintain a appropriate speed limit at all time.

For more information on speed limits and driving safely on the road, I am sure that the kind folks at +FederalRoad SafetyCorps, +RoadSafe Traffic Systems, Inc., +RoadSafetyBC, +RoadSafetyUAE, +Road Safety First Driving School, +Road Safety 360, +DrivingSafe.co.uk, +DriveSafe, +DriveSaferKansas, +Drivesafe RoadSafety, +Safe Driving School Inc, +Safe Drivers Institute of America, LLC., +Drivingsafetycoursetexas.com, and +American Red Cross may be willing to answer your questions.

                                                       Reference

Stephen D. September 24, 2012. FRSC releases statistics for road accidents. Retrieved       from http://connectnigeria.com/articles/2012/09/24/frsc-releases-statistics-for-road-accidents/

Disclaimer: Please note that I will not be held accountable or responsible for any accidents or incidents resulting from use of information gathered from this blog post.

Respectfully yours,

Onwuka Chukwuemeka,

Health Safety & Environment,

Procter & Gamble |  Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria  | +2347043319172 | +2348057044512

… even on our worse nights, the sun eventually rises.