by Sonja Kraft
Here at Purnaa, one of our values is “Excellence”, which drives our commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. Recently we had a training to review company safety procedures, first aid responses, and ergonomic practices.
One of the topics covered was what to do in a fire and how to use a fire extinguisher. At Purnaa there are fire extinguishers next to the doors on every floor. Should there ever be a fire, it’s important we are confident in using these extinguishers; so we practiced during the training. Fun! We reviewed the importance of how to safely get out of a building that has a fire and the proper times to use the fire extinguisher. The fire extinguishers located at Purnaa are all-purpose ABC dry chemical extinguishers and can be used on almost any fire.
Earthquake safety was also covered during the training time. Nepal is located along a fault line, so earthquakes are something that everyone needs to be prepared for. Purnaa has earthquake alarms on every floor that will sound before an earthquake starts. We also have a designated meeting point outside that everyone is required to report to once it is safe to leave the building.
Basic first-aid was discussed so that everyone can be prepared should someone get hurt during an emergency or during daily activities. At Purnaa we have two designated areas that contain first-aid supplies so that all staff have access to them at any time.
Along with safety for emergency situations, ergonomics was also discussed. Ergonomic hazards occur when the type of work you do, your body position and/or your working conditions put a strain on your body. Ergonomics is used to eliminate or reduce the wear and tear on the body. When ergonomic principles are applied in a workplace, they improve efficiency and productivity, increase job satisfaction and reduce the risk of fatigue, short-term pain and chronic illnesses, such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders. We discussed the importance of taking work breaks, stretching, adjusting chairs to the correct height and good seating posture.
Periodic reviewing of emergency procedures, first aid and ergonomic practices is an important part of keeping Purnaa a great place to work. Fortunately, while we do sometimes have earthquakes and an occasional workplace injury, we feel confident in our responses because of our training times.
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