Identifying hazards in your workplace

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. The risk is the likelihood that someone could be harmed by that hazard together with an indication of how serious the harm could be. The law doesn't require you to eliminate all risk, but you are required to protect people as far as is 'reasonably practicable'.

The first stage of a risk assessment is to look for hazards. A hazard can be something easily seen, such as a trailing cable, a worn carpet or exposed wiring. Or it can be something less obvious - a slippery surface, for example.

It can be something general, such as poor lighting. Or it can be something specific to your business, such as the particular hazardous substances you use. See our guides on how to manage harmful substances safely and your responsibilities for health and safety.

A hazard can be something directly affecting your employees, such as exposure to bacteria - or something affecting the environment in general, such as your waste materials.

You should distinguish between:

workplace hazards, such as a workshop's layout
activity hazards, such as using grinding machinery in your workshop
environmental hazards, such as the dust created when using grinding machinery

When looking for hazards it can be helpful to:

walk around your business
talk to employees who may be more aware of your business' hazards than you
look at safety data sheets and manufacturers' instructions to identify potential problem areas
examine accident and health records to identify existing problem areas

Thailand Has Lowest Unemployment Rate In World

Thailand has the lowest unemployment rate in the world and South Africa the highest, Germany's Federal Statistics Office said Thursday, quoting data from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Unemployment in Thailand was pegged at 1.9 per cent in 2005, according to comparative data from 43 countries collated by the ILO, the German office said.

The Thais were followed by South Korea and New Zealand, which both had a jobless rate of 3.7 per cent, according to the survey.

Ireland and Switzerland had the lowest unemployment rate in Europe at 4.4 per cent each, while Poland had the highest at 17.7 per cent. Germany's unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent placed it in 32nd place among the countries surveyed.

Bottom of the list was South Africa with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent.The ILO classes unemployed people as those of working age who do not have paid employment or who are self-employed even though they actively seek work

High Paying Careers

Let's face it, if given the opportunity most of us would choose the highest paying career possible. We live in a world where money is exchanged for goods and services and that means a higher paying job allows us to buy more of the things we need or want.

In this article we're going to provide lists of the highest paying jobs in America as determined by the US

Bureau of Labor Statistics. We're also going to slice and dice that information a couple of different ways to allow you to see what we believe is some interesting trends in the information.

And yes, we do realize that money can't buy happiness, but we're going to set that notion aside today so we can concentrate on answering the question - What is the highest paying job today? Later in this article we're also going to help answer the question - What's the value of higher education?

Learn to ask for a raise

Who will ask for the increase?
First, consider the position of the person to whom you are filing. The attitude is different if you ask a boss who does not own, if you go directly to the owner. Consider what position you can take your boss, for one simple reason

When time after starting the work should be done?
you should not do it before six months old.

What arguments can I give?
You try to add words such as "professional development", "moving up the company," "desire to take on new responsibilities," among others.

How much can I borrow?

A reasonable increase ranges between 20% and 30%, but it's certainly the company's policies

Where do I start the conversation?

Find the right time. Begin the conversation with ease and poses the question in simple sentences, but direct: "I plantearte a proposal", "to talk to you", "How good that now we can talk."

What if the answer is no?

If you say no, you should take it calmly.

Unemployment surges around the world

The United States government announced that employers cut another 651,000 jobs last month, driving unemployment up to 8.1 percent. Job losses in December and January were even higher than previously reported.

The pain is being felt well beyond the United States.

In Asia, in China, the urban unemployment rate officially stands at 4.2 percent. However, the Chinese Academy of Social Scientists says it is closer to 9.4 percent. In China, rural unemployment is not measured because of the difficulty of doing so.

Also in Asia, in Japan, unemployment hit 4.4 percent by the end of 2008, rising at its fastest rate in 42 years. Growing lines at food banks have been one result.

In India, unemployment officially stands at 8.2 percent. However, that number is thought to largely reflect unemployment in the organized sector of the economy, which comprises just 10 percent of the country’s workforce.

In Africa, in South Africa, economists expressed “surprise” as the unemployment rate fell to 21.9 percent at the end of last year, down from 23.2 percent several months earlier.
In Europe, unemployment in Germany stands at 8.5 percent, and in Britain, it is 6.1 percent, the highest in ten years.

In Latin America, Mexico’s unemployment rate is 4.3 percent. However, anyone in Mexico who is 14 years or older and who has worked one hour a week is considered “employed.”

Don't Like Your Job?

Do you hate your job? Do you have what it takes to start your own business? Millions of people hate their jobs but don't have the guts to quit and start their own businesses. Self employment ideas are all around you and you probably don't even realize it. There are hundreds of ideas that you can use to start your own business and be successful but if you don't know what to look for, you can't make that decision to be your own boss.

Let's start with the most obvious self employment ideas. What job do you do right now? Would you be happy doing that job if you did it for yourself? Do you hate the job or just the company that you work for? If you hate the company you work for but love the job itself, maybe you can go off on your own and start a business doing that job. Whether it's customer service or an adminstrative position, you can find ways to do that job yourself. Ideas like this are endless. The technical field is another field that can harvest many types of businesses from the one position you work now. Many businesses hire assistants that work from home, or virtual customer service reps, book keepers, and others. Usually you can make a more money doing these jobs for yourself, and working from home than you can working in an office for someone else or a large company.