Stewarding is not just about safety and cleanliness in the workplace. Stewarding also require you to lift items to clear and carve some space in thekitchen environment. Not only that, lifting is also essential to move big merchandise on and off the work site. Having said that, lifting is no simple matter. Injuries can be sustained if your lifting techniques are erroneous or sub par. Read on and see how to properly deal with lifting different merchandise around your workplace.
1. Swallow your pride and ask for help. Do not even attempt to carry or lift a stockpot alone. Having an assistant with you will minimize the weight of the merchandise; hence you will avoid any injuries. Ask for help even if you don’t have a history of lifting injuries.
2. When carrying or lifting heavy load, use your legs and keep your back straight. This technique is actually used by weight-lifters. Notice how Olympic weight-lifters have spine supporters. This is because lifting heavy weight can be very dangerous to your back. So keep that back straight when you are lifting things. If you have a spine protective gear, use it.
3. Pot carrying can be hazardous especially if it contains scalding hot soup. In order to help you balance the pot while carrying it slip your side towel through the handles. Then use both of your hands in lifting it up. This will equally distribute the strain in your back.
4. Make sure that the floor is free from grease or water spills. This is very dangerous and is in fact the main cause of slip and fall injuries in the kitchen environment. So make sure that any spills are cordoned off or mopped up.
5. Lifting a heavy item is not easy and can cause injury. You have to spread out your legs and protect your back as stated earlier. You will maintain your balance if you spread your legs at about shoulder-width. Grasp the item at both handles to again keep your balance. Bend only your knees and not your waist to avoid injury. Always get help if the item is too heavy or in an irregular shape.
6. Always hold the item close to your body. This is again in line with the balance issues that you should maintain. Carry the item without compromising balance so you can avoid any untoward accidents.
7. Step carefully and know in advance where you are going. If you are unfamiliar with where you are going, it is best to scout out the area. Do a little recon of the area where you need to carry your merchandise. Familiarity with your area of concern is paramount to your own safety and efficiency.
Carrying and lifting can be very dangerous if not done correctly. Just follow the guide above and keep it in mind during times when you need to carry heavy items. The best advice above is to ask for help. Four hands are better than one when it comes to lifting and carrying. Be sure also to observe your establishment’s safety procedures when lifting and carrying heavy items.
Choosing Functional And Decorative Kitchen Lighting
The kitchen is among the most important areas of a house, it is not just the place for cooking or eating, it also becomes the center for social and administrative matters. As such, the kitchen is known to consume a lot of electricity for lighting, and it is thus important to install good lighting in this room to ensure productivity and efficiency.
Lighting a kitchen involves three important goals – to create a lighting scheme that encourages productivity, to choose the appropriate types of lamps for energy efficiency, and to install the right lighting controls for efficient light management. These three elements are quite essential for ensuring the kitchen is well lighted.
Good lighting design is essential for kitchen productivity. Here are some tips for kitchen lighting:
1. Use fluorescent lights for most of the kitchen – fluorescent lamps are very efficient lighting fixtures. They consume less energy than incandescent lamps and they provide more lighting coverage. A kitchen needs ample light for long periods and thus it would benefit from the energy efficiency and the large light output that fluorescent lamps can provide.
2. Begin by installing lighting on work areas – work areas need the most light and it would be economical to concentrate lighting on these spots. Mount large fluorescent lights under cabinets so that they can provide light directly to the counters. Some cabinets however may not be able to accommodate fluorescent lights, they need some space to hide the lamps. You can have a carpenter add a few more inches to the cabinet’s face frame so that the lamps can hide easily behind them.
Normally, T-8 lamps are narrow enough to fit in most cabinets, but if the spaces are more cramped, you might need to get a T-5 lamp. You can also use recessed lights over the counters to illuminate them during kitchen tasks.
3. Install general background lighting once all the work areas are done – having good task lights in the kitchen, you probably would not need general background lighting, but it would still be good to have one if you still have money left. Again, fluorescent lights are best for this purpose as they provide good coverage. You would only need one or two large lamps installed in the ceiling, and perhaps with reflectors to increase the lighting range.
4. Use incandescent lights sparingly – incandescent lamps are very inefficient, especially for functional lighting in the kitchen. An incandescent lamp uses only 10 percent of energy for lighting, and the rest it uses for heat production. Thus it is not advisable to use incandescent lamps in the kitchen, where light is needed all the time. They should only be used as accent lights.
While halogen lamps may be more efficient compared to incandescent lamps, they are still not good for kitchen lighting. Light form halogen lamps are too focused, and one would need a lot to achieve good coverage. They may be good, however, for lighting specific spots for certain tasks in the kitchen.
5. Use several light switches – It is important to be able to control which light you would want to turn on at a particular time. Thus it would be good to have different switches for different lights on the kitchen. Have at least a switch for general lighting and then another one for task lighting.
6. Use dimmers for incandescent and halogen lamps – these lamps are known for their inefficiency in energy use, and thus it would be advisable to use dimmers for them to control their energy consumption. It is not recommended to use dimmers for fluorescent lamps as they are quite expensive and can easily damage the lamps.
7. Figure out which light is best serve as night lights – you would need to have some light on through the night in case you need to go to the kitchen late. A fluorescent lamp under the cabinet by the sink might be good for this purpose.
Lighting is an essential component of kitchen design. Good lighting can encourage productivity and efficiency in this very important part of the home. With a good lighting design not only can you ensure a pleasing kitchen that is easy to work on, but you can ensure that your electricity bills would not go beyond your budget
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