Borewells - Death traps

It is usual to read fall of children in the bore holes. The incidents repeat. Everybody expresses their sympathy, TV Channels cover live of the efforts by concerned authorities. They show frame by frame the sorrowful faces of parents and relatives of the victim. Then, after few days of the incident everybody forgets. Again the old footage comes in to open when a similar incident happens again. Special courts should be constituted to deliver immediate judgement to the persons who left the borewells open causing children to fall into them. Then only proper protective measures like barricading the area, providing cover with lock and key to the bore hole, etc will be taken. Though, fear works only when it is put into practice, however, such a situation may bring awareness to the persons responsible for digging borewells so that they will be rendered safe.

Road safety - during rains

The city is witnessing unusual rains now. The news bulletin in the TV says that monsoon showers are advanced by two weeks. We may hear shortly that a person fell into a open drain somewhere and was washed off. Last few years we are hearing this at one place or the other. Though the rain will be less, due to less seepage in to earth, all the rain water flows down along its graident downwards and there will be stagnated water where roads are uneven. We also do not learn from earlier incidents that were reported in news papers, TV, etc. We do same mistakes. We venture out into those pools and think that we are the most safety conscious among the lot on the road.

We go at great speeds on the road, take turns in the wrong direction, cause tense moments to others on the roads (they too cause the same). Some people normally go on left side but when it comes to a turning, they do the opposite. They take their vehicle to the extreme right (more so in blind turns) and find some one coming in the opposite direction (for him it is left). Due to water on the road, vehicles skid when brakes are applied (or brakes may also fail). Then, there are persons on the road who does not mind crossing without bother about speeding vehicles. Either the pedestrian will be hit or to save the pedestrian the rider will injure him self by applying brakes or will hit some body else on the road.

Let us remember the rains that caused havoc last year in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Persons in the cars thought they are safe and took cover in the cars. As the rain water on the road rose to dangerous levels they could not open the car doors and died of suffocation. In Hyderabad, two-three persons stepped into open drains in the water pool and were washed off.

Let us be prepared and also teach our children about road sense so that every body will be safe.

Communication - an important tool to help others to improve safety

Every day we see, hear, read and may experience accidents. But, how much time we spend on thinking about those accidents and what can be done to prevent such accidents. As we think more and more on the subject, our thoughts will be streamlined and a day will come when it becomes a part of life.

True, we need safety. But, normally we just leave it as such, as we have more important things to do (so as we assume).

Do we leave things as they were, if it is our children involved in such activities. A BIG NO. We tell a hundred times about how to proceed with a task, if it is to be done by our child. We also ensure some sort of supervision or keep watch on them.

The way we communicate with our children, we have to do it with our colleagues or partners in the work area also. BECAUSE, safety is a team work.

We may follow safety rules. But, we can't be sure of a safe work place, unless all those involved in the work also follow those safety rules.

Do not say later on that I told you so / I did but why you did not. Say it before taking up the task.

Communication should be simpler, straight, easy to understand, written and confirm it by asking questions.

If there is any doubt, get it cleared at once. You may be called Doubtfire. It doesn't matter. Because it is 'I' or 'Me' who is going to be involved in the job and even a wrong step can cause danger to others also.