By Ugochi Obidiegwu

In the Igbo language (one of the major languages in Nigeria), Ulomka means my home is better. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, home means the house you live in especially with your family. That is a good definition but for the purpose of this article, your home is wherever you spend a considerable length of time. Based on this definition, your body is your first home, then your house, your workplace and the roads for those who live in big and busy cities like Lagos in Nigeria or who spend a considerable length of time on the roads.

One might wonder why the body or the road is being considered. The way we treat or behave in these homes for certain hours daily, weekly, monthly and yearly would to a large extent determine the quality of one’s health and safety in the future (next hour, day, week or year).

For the body: How often do you drink water? Do you exercise? Do you eat right? Do you maintain correct posture at all times? For the home: Do you turn off electrical equipment when not in use? Are your seats more decorative than comfortable? Do you have a good mattress? Do you maintain a good posture while standing, sitting or lying down? Is your home properly ventilated? Where is the location of the generator bearing in mind many have died from generator fumes?

For the workplace: Are there emergency procedures at work? Do you know what to do in the event of a fire? How is your workstation arranged?  Does your sitting posture make you slouch? For the roads: Is there a serviceable fire extinguisher in your car? How do you sit in a vehicle considering long duration spent in traffic? Are the lights and brakes of the vehicle working effectively?

Whatever we do continuously becomes a habit over time and it has its effects either positive or negative. When we embrace positive habits, we become more safety conscious in our various homes. Only then can we confidently say our home is better than the next.

Is your home better than mine?