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Occupational Hazards

Occupational Hazards

An occupational hazard is a risk accepted as a consequence of a particular occupation.

All occupations have hazards.

The four main types of occupational hazards are as follows:

1. Chemical Hazards. The common chemical substances, such as carbon monoxide, carbon diox­ide, hydrocarbons, sulfuric acid and chemical substances cause injury when they are absorbed through skin and inhaling or ingesting.

As a result, people may suffer from respiratory diseases, skin diseases, allergy, heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders.

2. Biological Hazards. These hazards are manifested by diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, vi­ruses, insects, dietary deficiencies, excessive drinking, allergies, brain fever, imbalances and tetanus. All these tell upon a persons health.

3. Environmental Hazards. Environmental hazards may include noise, air and water pollution, vibration and shocks, radiation, excessive heat and cold as well as poor ventilation.

These hazards cause redness of eyes, genetic disorders, cancer, sterility, hearing loss, nerve injury and more.

4. Psychological Hazards. These types of hazards include stress caused by various stressors such as task and role demands, organizational leadership, unfocused goals, deadline and quotas, lack of group cohesion, interpersonal conflicts, value conflicts, bias and bigotry, sexual harassment, rapid technological changes…as well as life and career changes.

These types of hazards lead to emotional disturbances which impact self-esteem, self-worth, enthusiasm and peace of mind…and which in turn lead to energy depletion, physical exhaustion and impaired health.

For the purposes of this message, we’re going to focus on environmental and psychological hazards.

People like to think they have a “character,” and that this character of theirs will endure, no matter the situation.

Well…it’s not really so.

People are highly vulnerable to the incentives and behaviors of their environment, and often the best a person can do, if he wants to behave in a certain manner, is to choose carefully the environment that will go to work on his or her character.

An occupational hazard of the Internet blogger or YouTuber, for instance, is that he becomes the sort of person who says whatever he thinks will get him the most attention, likes and shares rather than what he thinks is true, so often that he forgets the difference.

An occupational hazard for anyone in the media business, is that in their rush to be the first to “break the news” and obtain bragging rights, they place speed ahead of truth and facts and forsake their journalist responsibilities.

An occupational hazard for someone who works for an undisciplined, unenthusiastic, unfocused or morally deficient manager or company, is that they lower their standards, conform to mediocrity and simply waste some of the best years of their lives.

An occupational hazard for a politician, is that by taking money from lobbyists…they immediately become yes men and little more than pawns for the private interests of their paying clients.

They spend more time focused on getting reelected and less time on serving the needs of the very people who voted for them.

The occupational hazards of being a CEO or even a Board Member for a public corporation is that the temptation, when deciding how to behave…wind up placing too little weight on long-term decisions, and far too much weight on short-term quarterly goals and appeasing shareholders greedy demands for quick profit.

An occupational hazard for an ambitious young person who goes to work at an Investment Banking firm is that they become easily corrupted by the system.

And, rather than build a life of substance and contribution, they soon go to work gaming ratings companies, and designing securities to fail so they might make a killing off the investors they dupe into buying them, and rigging various markets at the expense of the wider society, and encouraging all sorts of people to do stuff with their capital and their companies that they never should do.

The intense pressure to conform, to not make waves, to simply go along with the accepted norm has got to be one of the most the most depressing experiences of life…a true occupational hazard, a trap that too many have fallen victim to.

Remember, what you put up with, you end up with.

That’s why we must understand that the greatest influence in our life is our environment.

ENVIRONMENT IS EVERYTHING

The environment we find ourselves in affects our moods, ability to form relationships, effectiveness in work or play, our health, our earning ability, grades in school, peace of mind, self-confidence, attitudes, our belief systems—environment impacts everything.

I want you to…imagine yourself in an environment where you are challenged, supported and feel more alive than you have in years.

I want you to…imagine yourself in an environment where your talents are nurtured, where risk-taking was encouraged, and where your passion and creativity is unleashed.

I want you to…imaging yourself in an environment where integrity was applauded, where transparency was truly transparent, and where trust and respect were the only acceptable forms of behavior.

I want you to…imagine yourself in an environment that reinforces the MINDSET you need, that helps you drive the RESULTS you want and encourages you to take the necessary steps to live the LIFE you deserve.

Wouldn’t you feel like you could do anything…that the world was your proverbial oyster…that no force on earth could possibly stop, spook or slow you down?

Isn’t it time to recapture your passion, your playfulness, your curiosity, and your inner strength to TRANSFORM and fast-track absolutely anything you want in life?

As mentioned previously…people are highly vulnerable to the incentives and behaviors of their environment, and often the best a person can do, if he wants to behave in a certain manner, is to choose carefully the environment that will go to work on his or her character.

A large part of being successful in life depends upon each one of us utilizing and managing our environment to assist us in living a life of excellence and personal mastery.

So watch yourself, be very aware of falling victim to occupational hazards…because if you don’t, no one’s got your back.

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair

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