Volume 1 , Issue 1 Page 33
Earthquake Safety – Are You Aware and Prepared ?
By Engr . Usman Dawood Barry Head of Health and Safety ( PSIE )
It happened yesterday , around 3:40pm . I was working while sitting on a chair when I felt it vibrate . Initially I thought it was some heavy vehicle passing by which causes some of the windows to quiver and tremble of my work place . But no sound of any vehicle was heard and I felt the shaking for a good four five seconds . It was then I realize that this is an earthquake .
Being in the safety field , I immediately found my lacking of what to do when an earthquake strikes . I was unharmed by the grace of Allah , but could have faced dire consequences for not having the knowledge of earthquake safety . And then , even a more disturbing thought came to me : How many of us out there are aware of this ? This made me to write the article .
How to be safe during an earthquake
Below are the safe practices that one needs to be aware and follow in order to ensure no personal harm or injury is occurred .
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Pick “ safe places ”. A safe place could be under a sturdy table or desk or against an interior wall . Move the smallest distance possible to safety ; the shorter the distance to move to safety , the less likely you will be injured .
Keep away from windows and bookcases , or tall furniture that could fall on you .
Practice drop , cover , and hold-on in each safe place . Drop under a sturdy desk or table and hold on to one leg of the table or desk . Protect your eyes by keeping your head down . Be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops . Practice these actions so that they become an automatic response .
“ Most earthquakerelated injuries result from collapsing walls , flying glass , and falling objects as a result of the ground shaking , or people trying to move more than a few feet during the shaking .”