Ergonomic Home Design for Pregnant Women

Designing for pregnant women should consider the ease of movement of pregnant women without restraining too much due to movement limitation.

(a) Ergonomic Stairways
The following are descriptions of ergonomic stairways:

(i) Gently Sloping
Stairs in the house should be gently sloping for pregnant women. Steps should ideally be reduced to just three or four steps before the landing platform.

(ii) Having Handrails
Handrails are needed to protect users from falling off the edge of the stairs or landings (secure to grasp).

(iii) Proper Lighting
Good lighting can protect users from falls or slips due to lack of visibility.

(b) Ergonomic Bedrooms
Mattresses and beds for pregnant women should be low, making it easy to sleep. This ensures that pregnant women will remain in a good posture to reduce injury and keep them comfortable. Ergonomic pillows should not cause neck aches and strains. The floor must be rough and not too slippery to prevent slipping and injuries.

(c) Ergonomic Kitchens
Ergonomic design for kitchens should minimise uncomfortable positions and enhance ease of access by applying the most well-organised arrangement between areas in the space such as appliances, tops, cabinets, and sinks. Cabinets must be positioned at user-friendly heights and the kitchen must fit the users needs.

Comments

Working at Height- Fall Hazards and Risk Control Measures

Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injury and the second most cause of common cause of major injuries to employees. Working at height may include work on roof, using ladders or any access platform such as scaffolds or lifting equipment. The main hazards from Working at Height are Falls i.e, Persons falling and falling equipments. The main causes of falls from height are: Failing to recognize the risk. Not providing safe system of work and making sure its followed. Not providing adequate information, training, instruction or supervision. Not using equipment properly or sometimes not using it a all (using chair instead of step ladder). Unsafe act may lead to a Fall When Fall protection is needed? During roof work, fall protection is always required when the roof edge is more than 10 feet above the ground or other surfaces. This commonly referred to as, 10 foot rule. But when any roof is so steep or slippery that an uncontroll...

Fire Hydrant System

A fire hydrant, (also known as fire pumps, hydrant boosters, fire water pumps)is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. These are high pressure water pumps designed to increase the fire fighting capacity of a building by boosting the pressure in the hydrant service when mains is not enough, or when tank fed. A Fire Hydrant with fully-on valve , releasing pressure water. Safe Operating Procedure- Fire Hydrant The user attaches a hose to the fire hydrant, then opens a valve on the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water. Most fire hydrant valves are not designed to throttle the water flow; they are designed to be operated either full-on or full-off. Attaching Hose with Fire Hydrant When a firefighter is operating a hydrant, he or she typically wears appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and a helmet with face shield worn. High-pressure water coursing through a potentially aging and corroding hydrant coul...

Ergonomic Kitchen Design

Introduction The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in any household. However, many of us are unaware of the potential hazards that can result from poor ergonomics in the kitchen. The job of preparing, serving and cleaning up after meals gets done there. Making sure that the environment fits the user is a critical factor in ensuring satisfaction with one's kitchen. Ergonomics is important because it makes work more efficient, faster, more pleasant and with less fatigue by improving the interface between the human body and the things we need to interact with to get work done. The movement abilities of the human body are the fixed parts of the equation. We are not going to alter the body to fit the environment. So, to make work more efficient, we have to alter the design to fit human movement. We want to minimise movement by eliminating unnecessary steps and make the kitchen usable for all the individuals in a household. Every aspect of kitchen design is given a new, ha...

Health Safety and Environment (HSE)

Search This Blog