Month: April 2017

The building and construction industry is marked by a high rate of attrition and a high number of work accidents compared to other industries particularly among the workers in such high buildings. Read this to know what you can do to improve safety as an employer or employee.

 

Regarded as one of the most dangerous occupations, construction works can be considered anything but fully safe. Heights, large and mobile equipment, edges, deep holes, and wobbling stairs are a reality in many construction sites, no matter how modern or careful the contractors claim them to be. Obviously, the employers do need to take care of the safety and security of the workers, but the workers need to keep in mind a lot of precautions when working in such hazardous conditions.

 

These are some safety measures every construction worker must take into consideration:

 

Double-Check Your Work Areas

Scaffolds are an integral part of most construction sites and are associated with a high number of injuries. When you are working in a construction site, you must ensure your safety first. Check thoroughly if the scaffold has been inspected by a professional or competent person. Never work if the scaffold is incomplete which does not have a strong platform or base.

 

Ladders are other essential construction site tools with a high potential for danger. Check the ladder thoroughly before using it. If you find any part of the ladder wobbly, do not use it. A ladder should be of proper strength and of a height that always keeps it at least one meter above the landing.

 

Be Vigilant with Electricity and Equipment

Construction sites require a lot of electrical installations. Lifting equipment mostly involves electricity and weights. When working with the equipment, you need to follow the safety precautions listed for the equipment and be extra cautious to see there is no wear and tear in the machine. If you do not know them, seek help and instructions from a site supervisor or co-worker who has worked with the equipment beforehand.

 

Maintain Fencing and Prevent Fires

Notice the number of fatal injuries and falls that happen in areas where there is no fencing. Completely repaired broken and damaged fence can prevent dangerous circumstances; proper fencing is in place. If this preventive measure is not present, inform your site supervisor immediately.

 

Protective Apparel and Personal Protective Equipment

Employers are required to provide their workers with proper protective gear and clothing. As a construction worker, you must wear your protective gear like well-fitted and eyewear correctly. It is also a must to wear earplugs when working in noisy areas and gloves when dealing with toxic chemicals. Make sure to wear safety shoes such as anti-slip footwear and protective apparel as they are necessary for those working in toxic or dusty environments. Wearing of the safety harness is very important for every construction worker. Make sure your harness is firmly built and secured to a strong anchorage point when you are working at heights.

 

Keep First Aid Close

Both the site supervisor and contractor should ensure that first aid is always accessible to the workers since it may not be possible for workers to carry first aid supplies with them all the time. As a worker you find that first aid you will need is not around, inform your supervisor immediately. Basic first aid should be available on site to provide immediate medical assistance for minor burns, cuts, and falls.

A construction worker must be careful at all times and always follow instructions during an emergency. Proper lighting must be provided when working at night and to certain dark areas to prevent harm to the workers. You should also avoid playing with work equipment. If you notice any unsafe condition, such as a floor opening that is uncovered or not fenced, inform your co-workers and supervisor immediately.

 

Construction workers play one of the most important roles in our modern society and that is to construct safe buildings, bridges, and many other assets for society. The workers owe it to themselves and their employers to work safely. Think safety, work safely!

 

It was 2014 after finishing Hotel and Restaurant Management course, the first job offered to me was a Sous Chef. As we all know, the work of a chef is tough, stressful, exposed to heat, and having a not so high salary. I’m not referring to all chefs, but to those who fall in love with the profession; I can say it’s a lifelong career and dedication.

Being a chef, you always have been in love with the food. Cooking is like telling a story to the consumer; it depends on your mood and the type of cuisine you will prepare. Yet, mastery in a certain type of cuisine has been very important, in a way that you should know who are the people used to eat this kind of food.

Working as Sous Chef of the hotel, you have to wake up early in the morning to assist the head chef in preparing food for the hungry tummies and satisfy your guests’ cravings. Prepare daily needs in the kitchen smoothly and safely. Serve the food with clean and awesome plating that will catch your guests’ excitement to eat. Being creative is one of the qualifications that a chef will possess. Creating an art to the food you prepare will give more attraction and beauty. But sometimes, you will feel worried because some guests may not like the taste, or I should say, they may not meet their food taste expectations. You always have to think that food is their happiness.

With my experience, I always love making a sound in the kitchen, a noise that it’s not irritating; it’s like music to my ears. Sometimes, I wanted to dance following the beats of the sound while cooking. In that way, I can show to my workmates that I am happy with what I am doing.

It took me 3-4 months to fully understand the main job of the Sous Chef. Day by day, I learned how to build a team and make friends with my colleagues who became my second family. This is one of the helpful steps to perform your job well if you have a healthy and happy working environment; when you’re surrounded by good and trusted workmates.

As a chef, always remember that food brings Love, Peace, and Compassion to the table. Always give your best shot to show the people your passion and true love of cooking. Cook with a happy heart!

The summer has ended and the fall season begins. I can say, summer season was my perfect and beautiful experience that I want the whole world would know.

 

Every summer season, the tourism industry is getting ready to give services to the people who want to spend the time to enjoy and relax, but fewer expenses. They post advertisements and promotions to some social Medias to invite people to stay at their place with a very low package rates from air fare to hotel and tour accommodation.

 

Beach resort is one of the relaxing places to stay during summer season. Most of the kids love to swim and paddle over the sea, while some are on the seashore taking sunbathing. I had the best luck in Queensland where resorts are seemed to be the perfect place to those who want to spend more time swimming and relaxing.

 

Some love to take a vacation trip to enjoy beautiful views and spending the time to take photos as a souvenir. I would suggest booking ahead of time for lower airfare if you are planning to go on a vacation trip. As what I have experienced, I was able to save money and time and had the best plan for my destination. And of course, consider the nice but not too expensive place to stay like hotel or beach resort.

 

A hotel is also a great place to stay if you want more romantic and relaxing place. Hotel facilities and staff are the things you will have to consider before booking. You can read reviews from the people who stayed there before you, so you will have an idea what kind of place you are planning to go to.  As a hotel guest, you are allowed to use the hospitality suites such as the lounge area, swimming pool, restaurant, bar, and the lobby area. Hotel staff’s duties are to welcome and serve you and attend your necessities. In that way, they will showcase their hospitality service. They are trained to do good manners and right work etiquette. They are educated not to enter the room if the guest is not around, but housekeepers are allowed to clean the whole room and change beddings with the guest permission. It doesn’t hurt if tip share is not given to a hotel attendant, yet, most guests give just a little share.

 

While staying at the hotel or resort, make sure to try eating at their restaurant and experience the world class customer services of the waiters and waitresses, even the receptionist. Forget not to take photos of your hotel room and some of the beautiful spots of the place. And lastly, buy some souvenir that you can keep as a remembrance of your wonderful stay.

 

Be wise and choose what fits your budget to have a relaxing mind. Make sure to enjoy and create memories!

Every individual is different, but despite the differences, there’s one thing’s common: Every individual loves food. There are those who love fruits or vegetables, meats or seafood, pizza or pasta, sweets and pastries and many to mention. Knowing this, let’s discover on how we could safely store our food. Let’s look into our fruits and vegetables.

It is better that fruits and vegetables should be eaten fresh. However, storing and processing them are acceptable alternatives. This includes pre-prepared, canned, frozen, dried and juiced.

Pre-prepared fruits and vegetables:

Pre-preparing foods come in chopping our favorite fruits and vegetables for salads such as slicing our fresh broccoli, mushrooms, and onions into bite-size pieces. Then, you can put them into containers and store in your refrigerator to preserve. Since it’s been already prepared, you can dress and eat your salad at any day you want.

On the other hand, you can also choose many ways to prepare your favorite fruits but it still goes through the same process of slicing them into pieces, put them into your preferred containers or jars, and store them in your refrigerator for the upcoming days.

Easy as it is! It is very convenient to pre-prepare our food to lessen our food preparation.

Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables:

Freezing conserves the taste, texture, and nutritional value of food better than any other method. It also prevents organisms that cause food decay. Some frozen vegetables include carrots, peas, beans, corn and vegetable mixes. In freezing our favorite vegetables, what we have to do is peel them and cut into sizes. Most canned fruits include pineapple, peaches, apricots, pears and mixed fruits. Select varieties with no added sugar, or those canned in natural juice. Few of canned vegetables include tomatoes, corn, baked beans, beetroot and baby carrots. Preserved fruit and vegetables are pasteurized by heating during the canning process.

Dried fruits and vegetables:

Drying foods can lessen the nutrients of the food. In order not to deteriorate the quality and keep the food safe, we need to properly store it. Drying eradicates water from the surface of the food by the combined effects of air flow, air temperature, and air humidity. The connection between the three is important if drying is successful. In drying them, it keeps the food to last longer without spoilage and helps them from becoming contaminated with microbes. As it is processed, it adds a variety of tastes and a healthy diet to each individual. However, we should not eat more than one served of dried fruit a day; it may lead to tooth decay.

Juiced Fruits and Vegetables:

Consuming fruits and vegetables is undeniably good! But through juicing, you can consume a huge amount of nutrients unlike other food processing and it saves all that much munching and digesting. Also, some veggies and fruits are difficult to digest for some people, so juicing is a great way to get their benefits.

Currently, foods are being prepared through different processes. The above-mentioned processes can still produce the important nutrients and vitamins from fruits and vegetables. Aside from eating them fresh, we can consider the different processes on how we can store them longer, tastier, and to retain the nutrients they contribute.

Be healthy at all times!

Managing your own work, managing employees, and making sure the team is working cohesively can easily get overwhelming. However becoming a great leader isn’t something that happens overnight, but it can be achieved through hard work, discipline and a commitment to improvement through experience.

 

Being responsible for the well-being and success of many employees is a big task to take on. But great leaders have a unique talent for rallying people together and getting them passionate about working towards something amazing.

 

What makes a true leader?

 

First of all, a leader needs vision, an actual vision. He must have an ability to see something that makes his team and followers motivated to get up every morning and go to work. Leading is a very tough and not an easy task, so much to do, so much to think about, and is a big responsibility. It has a lot of pressures knowing that so many people are relying on you. Someone establishes clear rules and policies. Guides his team towards the goal of empowering them and coaches them for a better improvement.

 

Leadership has nothing to do with your job title and with the level of the hierarchy. Leaders can be anywhere, at any level of an organization.

 

Here are the important keys to being a good leader:

• Understands how to deal with people of different walks of life
• Has a very high emotional intelligence
• Focuses and understands strengths; he always learn and strive for improvement
• A great listener; he must have the power of listening. When your team member speaks, you listen and never conclude right away.
• Must be a good communicator. Communication is the key to every team’s success.
• Knows how to take complex things and turn those things to a simple one.
• Knows how to recognize hard works. He must understand the value of saying “thank you” and learn to appreciate teamwork by giving awards and recognitions.
• Encourages every one of the team to praise each other and creates a strong bond within the team.

According to the saying “Leaders are made, they are not born”, there is always the truth of this adage. At some point, the capabilities for great leadership are innate. However, learning how to become an effective and good leader is within everyone’s grasp – whether you lead teams, an entire organization, or just one staff member.

Leaders know if they failed on their pathways, they can try another way until they succeed. Becoming an effective leader is not a one-time learning, each failure is a lesson to learn and will make them more effective leaders. Think differently, build for tomorrow!

What comes into your mind when you hear the word “Leadership”? How about “Management”? Do we have the same thing in mind? Well, I think we’re not; all of us have a different understanding about these two words, leadership and management. The word leadership means handling or leading a group of people or an organization and has an ability to do the task given. A leader should be flexible, smart, and courageous enough because he can be the strength of his people under his team or organization. On the other hand, management is focused on the scale and is more on the details.

Many of us might think leadership and management have the same meaning, but both two are different. The leader sets many visions and broad the plans while manager works it and does everything that is needed to achieve the plan.

What is the importance of Leadership and Management?

Organisation or business needs a people who are leadership and management oriented. With poor leadership and good management, they will be able to execute everything very well but will able to do those things without any consistent direction and strategy. With good leadership and poor management, a company can succeed in their goal, but can’t execute the plan on how to get there.

Can one person perform both?

Good leaders and good managers can’t be one person, but there are few people that excel both. They tend to be overwhelmingly successful in achieving their goals in life. Leadership and management skills are some ways opposite from one another, long term versus short, detail oriented versus a big picture, etc.

It can be so difficult for one person to perform both because that person should split time between the two and excel. The organization that succeeds has a mix of individuals; it has people who excel in both leadership and management.

On the other hand, it’s good for a person to clearly understand where they excel at more, knowing the different characteristics of the two are important. Knowing how it takes to be a good leader makes you know more about yourself even if you actually know that you tend to be an effective manager.

10 key characteristics of an effective Leader

• Stay positive
• Confident
• With sense of humor
• Knows to handle pressure
• Doesn’t communicate to give commands, will and give feedbacks instead
• Knows how and when to delegate tasks
• Helps people to grow
• Takes responsibility and doesn’t blame members
• Makes decisions by applying lessons learned in the past
• Commits to do their very best and leads by example

10 key characteristics of an effective Manager

• With superior communication skills
• Leads with transparency and honesty
• Supports employees with clear direction and removes their roadblock for them
• Embraces technology
• Motivated
• Has expertise in the field
• Productive and calm
• Promotes cross-level and cross functional collaboration
• Creates productive and lively work environment
• Trusts employees

Can you be you be a good Leader and effective Manager?

When you possess all the above characters and apply them to yourself and to your team, I can tell that you can be a good Leader and an effective Manager of tomorrow.