By: Joseph Jones

Workers, Supervisors, we need a balanced attitude, if our jobs do not provide us with the possibilities for developing a sense of mutual respect and appreciation, we can all to easily lose our sense of self-esteem not only in our jobs, but also in the various circles we belong to outside of work.

In the family and among friend and acquaintances, it is vitally important to feel that our work is meaningful, that we can exercise some influence and that we really do have the opportunity to develop the abilities we know we have as individuals.

Mark you; we live in very stressful times. Some of us are bitterly angry and walk about as roaring lions seeking to devour someone. Therefore it is not surprising that at times, we get fed up of the unhealthy unsafe conditions of the workplace and just quit. It is not easy to control our emotions when we feel we have been treated unjustly. It can be devastating (to lay waste) because of the colour of your skin. Listen to this, God has given us ability to solve problems and power to carry out our plans enabling us to work to our goals.

So what I am doing and writing is making clear to all the workers in St. Kitts and Nevis, that it is necessary to have a collective approach to prevent and control the causes of accidents at the work place.

We also live in crucial times, people are selfish, there is little affection and encouragement is scarce; just like how plants need water is so it is that you the workers need to be educated. Before I close let me touch a bit on Ergonomic Planning and I am going to deal with shift workers specifically: Irregular working hours inevitably create problems which have their medical and social issues.

Very few people can adapt completely to shift work and irregular working hours. The condition of such work puts a great deal of pressure on the mechanism which govern stress and they create problems and ill health in the form of stomach and intestinal disorders, as well as cardiac and vascular changes (pertaining to the heart and to those vessels that have to do with conveying blood chyle).

Lack of sleep can more over lead to various forms of nervous complaints. A consequence of all this is that shift work should be avoided as far as possible. But some jobs are such that the work must continue also during the night.

In these cases the working hours for shift workers should be shorter than for other groups.

Thank You.

Words:    Meaning

Chyle       a milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fat that forms in the small                          intestine during digestion