The Hazards of UV Radiation

Although ultraviolet (UV) radiation can come from a number of sources, the sun is the most common. Excessive exposure to UV radiation is known to cause problems like skin cancer, sunburns, eye irritation and even blindness. As such, people working with UV-emitting devices like welders, arc lights, water filtration systems and tanning beds must take the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves from excessive exposure.

Image Source: Flickr

How Does UV Exposure Occur?
Quite a number of occupations carry the risk of UV exposure. People working in outdoor jobs in sectors like construction, farming and road maintenance fall under this category. But indoor workers aren’t immune from exposure; those who work in foundries, health facilities and tanning salons are also at a high risk.

Potential Risks
Because every individual has unique traits, response to UV radiation will vary significantly across the population. While a number of people can withstand short-term exposure with no noticeable consequences, others may not be so lucky. Skin cancer is one of the biggest risks of short-term exposure. Additionally, people with light-colored hair, eyes and skin as well as those who stay in the sun for long durations are more prone to skin cancer. Other factors that raise the vulnerability include the use of medication that raises sensitivity to UV light.

Reducing the Risk of Exposure
For starters, familiarize yourself with the outdoor UV index, to know when the sun’s ultraviolet radiation levels are high. During such periods, it’s crucial to avoid working outdoors (if possible) or reduce the time spent working in the sun.
You should always make use of UV protection, even when it’s cloudy or foggy. Although air temperature sinks when the sun is blocked by haze, fog or clouds, these things won’t block dangerous UV rays. Additionally, working in environments containing sand, water or concrete will increase exposure. This is due to the reflection of the rays by these elements.

How to Make Occupations Safer
Around the workplace, there are certain measures to take to minimize exposure. Wear sunscreen and work in the shade, if possible. Raise the awareness of your employees and help them to avoid the sun’s harmful rays when the UV index is high. Although UV rays can penetrate clothing hats, sunglasses, long pants and long sleeve shirts can help protect a person from the sun as as well.

Contact:
Working Safety Solutions
#200-4170 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C.
604-320-7850

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Diary of a wildlife garden: the robin's return | Kate Bradbury

The sight of a robin lifts the heart of Kate Bradbury as she works on her new wildlife garden

In the darkest days of January, after I had taken up the decking and dug a hole to plant my apple tree, a robin became the first visitor to my newly-made wildlife garden.

She appeared in a flash on top of the fence, flew to the wall and then spotted me and darted off again. She had been here before, I realised, perhaps lured by the recently unveiled earth and its unearthed worms, or the new compost heap, or even the hanging feeder with its diminishing quantity of sunflower hearts. (Robins have only recently learned to use hanging feeders. And you can tell – they look ridiculous.)

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Joshua Tree Adventures & Photoshoot!

Hey there guys!

This past weekend Jackelyn, Sam and I drove to Joshua Tree National Park, 2.5 hours away from LA! It was Jackelyn’s last weekend in LA so we wanted to do something special for her. My sister has become quite the outdoors-woman in the past few years and she’s all about rock climbing, bouldering, hiking and everything REI!!! She got into it as she was training for American Ninja Warrior. That upper body strength doe!

For the first time I learned how to “scramble”. No, not eggs. Scramble means to “make one’s way quickly or awkwardly up a steep slope or over rough ground by using one’s hands as well as one’s feet.”

And awkward it was!!!

At one point, as I launched my body forward to grab onto a rock, I slipped and landed belly flat onto the boulder which was angled at around a 30 degree decline. Then I started sliding, down, slipping, lower, and lower….my raw belly making contact with the frictiony granite surface of the slope, hands sliding too, skin…scraping…

Sam held my heels as Jackelyn grabbed my hands and they helped me onto my feet and back to safety.

It. Was. Scurry.

But somehow, fun??? Adventurous?

I liked it, so we ended up scrambling more! Up higher boulders! I scraped up my knee and bled a little, but no worries, I’m ok!

Here’s a wonderful shot of me and my sister after we scrambled. What could we be looking at?

I was so not prepared for the dryness and heat of Joshua Tree. I brought a big bottle of water and drank the entire thing before we even started any of of real activity. Luckily Jackelyn brought this Camelbak contraption that looks like an IV bag with her in her backpack. I felt bad for drinking from her water source but I was so dehydrated that I could not even function.

After about 3-4 hours of hiking and scrambling, it was time to prepare for our photoshoot! Golden hour was approaching!

You must have been thinking…but weren’t you sweaty and disgusting? Well, ya know, when you gotta shoot, you gotta shoot!!! In addition to our lovely gowns, I brought a bunch of wet wipes to clean the dust off our bodies and feet. We did our makeup in the car and changed in there too. Heatless hairstyles.

 

Not bad huh? :)

I am IN LOVE with my dress from The Jet Set Diaries. This emerald teal color is everything to me. And the fluidity of that skirt? It’s a fairytale.

Here’s baby sis in a gorgeous skirt from Anthropologie and my crop top from Brandy Melville. I’ve been saving that skirt for like a year now. Never knew the right occasion for it. But I think what we’ve all been waiting for was for sis to sit on a rock in the desert and pretend like she was in an Anthro catalogue. PERF.

I decided I wanted to try sitting on the rock too.

Look at those Joshua Trees!  Don’t they look alien like!? The trees are scientifically referred to as the Yucca brevifolia. 

Sam told us to turn around and smile candidly.

Check out the back of this dress. And that skirt flow is just ON POINTTTTT!

My sister is headed back to the Bay Area today after a month of living with me, and to be honest, I am sad. She is a ball of light and laughter. I have not gone home yet, I’m still blogging from my desk at the Blogilates HQ, but I am afraid that when I get there and see her empty room, that my heart too, will be empty. I’ll keep you updated on whether baby sis decides to come live in LA with me or if her heart takes her far away. Whatever she decides, I know that her adventures will be epic.

Oh and I forgot to say…that night when we were driving back from Joshua Tree, I saw my first ever meteor while on the freeway. It was the MOST INCREDIBLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. It was just magic. SO MAGIC!!! White and blue with a super long trail of sparkles…and soooo big!!! I don’t know what it means, but for sure, I will never forget seeing that for the rest of my life. I am going to wish that you will get to see a meteor one day too.

I hope you enjoyed these photos! And big thank you to Sam for always being such an amazing photographer!

 

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Vegan Watermelon Cake Recipe!

Hey guys!

How GORGEOUS is this cake?! The colors are so beautiful and the ingredients list is SIMPLE. There is NO BAKING involved. I found this cake idea on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. Easy, peasy I thought.

But…not so quick…

As I was icing the cake, my Coco Whip (vegan sub for whipped cream) started to melt dramatically and it was kind of a mini disaster! Look, no hard feelings against Coco Whip – it’s actually AMAZING – but I almost cried and wanted to stop making this cake when my whip was sliding down the sides! You can get Coco Whip at Whole Foods and other healthy grocery stores. Didn’t check my local grocery stores, but certain ones may have it!

CocoWhip is a lot like Cool Whip but without the dairy and chemicals.

I learned that the trick to getting the Coco Whip to stick is to really get your watermelon as dry as possible using paper towels before frosting it!  Just put a light, thin layer of the whip on the sides, not globular monsters like I did in the video! Haha. You add just enough to stick the slivered almonds to it. You can decorate the top any way you like, and you can certainly cut the watermelon in any shape you prefer. I opted for a very tall cake.

Check out my Cheap Clean Eats video to see how to make it:

VEGAN WATERMELON CAKE

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 slice

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-large watermelon
• 1 container coco-whip frozen topping, slightly thawed
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2  cup sliced strawberries
• 1-2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
• (any other fruit you wish to decorate with)

Method:

1. Slice off 2-inches off each end of the watermelon and discard. Stand watermelon upright on a flat end on a cutting board. Starting at top of melon, use a long sharp knife to carefully cut between rind and flesh, all around the watermelon. Discard rind.
2. Pat very dry with paper towels. Frost with CocoWhip and decorate in a beautiful design.

Nutrition Info:

Approx calories, depending on the size of watermelon and amount of whip used.

Calories: 183

Protein: 2g                

Fat: 7g

Net Carbs: 28g

Fiber: 2g

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Avenir Name to Serve as Sub-Brand for Buick

Buick says it wants to capitalize on a recent uptick in growth, and in order to do so, it has set about creating a new top-of-the-line luxury sub-brand. Taking cues from the Avenir sedan concept first revealed at the Detroit Auto Show last year, the sub-brand looks poised for release on a global scale starting with the 2018 model year.

Essentially, the Avenir sub-brand will be akin to the Denali trim level currently in place for GMC’s range-topping truck models. Buick hopes the inclusion of Avenir-branded offerings will cement gains made with its changing customer base, which according to a recent press release, includes more female buyers and former customers of competing brands. If all goes according to plan, Avenir will also expand Buick’s reach overseas.

So then – what’ll make the Avenir sub-brand stand out amongst the competition? Buick says the exterior will include “a three-dimensional mesh grille, large-diameter wheels, and unique trim finishes,” while the cabin space will incorporate a “quiet, inviting environment with unique seat details, modern trim materials and Avenir script identification.”

Simply put – a sharp exterior styling with plus-sized rollers and a fancy fascia, as well as upscale materials and lots of badges in the interior. Sounds about right.

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Jeep Considering Building Rival To Nissan Juke

On the heels of unveiling the facelifted Jeep Grand Cherokee and a pair of special edition models to commemorate its 75th anniversary, Jeep boss Mike Manley unloaded another interesting bit of news that should get fans of the brand hyped and excited. Speaking with Autocar, Manley admitted that there’s a possibility the company will build an all-new model that would slow below the Renegade and serve as Jeep’s response to the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur.

Manley didn’t dive into the details of what Jeep’s cooking up, but if the model does come to fruition, it’s still going to have the off-road qualities that Jeep is known for. The question now is whether or not the company will follow the same quirky design spirit of the Juke, a model that isn’t exactly a beacon of conventional styling.

It’s still unclear how far along Jeep is in the discussions about such a model, but one thing’s likely; it’s not going to arrive anytime soon. That said, there are reports that Jeep’s India division is working on a B-segment SUV. It reportedly even has a codename - 526 - and is described as being less than four meters (13.12 feet) long. Manley didn’t say if there’s any connection between that model and the company’s overarching plans of building a sub-Renegade model, but it does sound like something that’s worth keeping tabs on.

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Volkswagen Patents Autonomous Driving Technology With Manual Control Options

The recent rise of autonomous driving technology has provided automakers the chance to conjure up new and exciting self-driving technologies in order to make first impressions in the burgeoning segment. Some companies have hunkered down to develop software systems while others have gotten into partnerships to accelerate their own development of the tech. Then there’s Volkswagen, which recently took the first step in developing a technology that allows drivers to configure a car’s automatic drive setup without having to disengage the self-driving mode altogether.

The German automaker filed the patent application in Germany with the main feature being a touch-sensitive control situated at the top of the gear shifter knob. The driver can use the control to manipulate certain automatic drive settings that the car will abide by. For instance, in times where the system detects a situation that needs input from the driver, it presents multiple options on how the driver would want to proceed. These could include speeding up to pass a slow-moving vehicle ahead or queueing behind the vehicle and remaining in the lane. The system recognizes when an option has been chosen through specific hand gestures. Taking from the same example, a driver could swipe horizontally to signal the system to pass the vehicle ahead or swipe vertically if he wants to remain in the same lane.

The patent also details other unique features about the technology, including a ring of lights around the touch screen device that changes hues depending on the urgency of making a decision. A blue hue, for example, could mean that there’s still ample time to make a decision on what the autonomous technology should do and a red hue could mean that a decision has to be made as soon as possible lest the system disengages its self-driving capabilities. There’s also a separate feature located on the gear shifter knob itself, which appears to suggest a feature that allows a driver to disengage the self-driving feature by pressing a button on top of the knob.

The technology isn’t expected to be included in Volkswagen models anytime soon. Since it’s still in the application phase, VW has yet to get a patent over the technology and even if it does receive the green light from the European Patent Office, there’s no telling how quickly the German automaker can develop the technology for actual production use. That said, the patent does highlight the steps VW is making to get ahead of the autonomous driving technology curb.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

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