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Using the gym can be an enjoyable experience that leads to a healthier lifestyle which makes us feel happier about ourselves. When we use the gym our body releases a chemical in the brain that makes us feel happier, and an intense gym workout can also make us feel better about our body.

Whatever reason we use the gym, whether it is to lose weight, tackle obesity, fight common diseases, or to fit in that much loved pair of jeans again, it is a lifestyle change that we have chosen for ourselves.

When we first join a gym we should be given an initial gym induction by a fitness instructor – they will teach us how to use the gym equipment in a way that is safe for us, and won’t cause us injury. When you go into a gym for the first time, it can be a daunting place – the equipment looks confusing and we feel a bit daft on the treadmill.
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No matter how old you are, whether you are due to have your 17^th birthday, or ared 31-years-old or even 50-years-old, learning to drive can be an exciting and terrifying time. The excitement is learning a new skill that will give you a sense of freedom that you’ve never had before. Driving opens so many doors; it allows us to go where we want whenever we want to. We no longer have to wait around or rely on other people anymore; it means no more sitting at the bus stop in the freezing cold weather.

When we first learn to drive it can seem almost impossible, like we’re never going to get the hang of it. Driving instructors usually start our first few lessons off by letting us get to know the vehicle, and where the controls are. This can seem like so much information to take in. Our first experience on the roads usually consists of us doing nothing but driving around in a circle and doing left turns.

After the first few lessons we eventually progress onto right-hand turns and putting the car in 4^th gear. The key skill with driving is having patience to do things gradually, and after a while it all should come to you – hopefully. Some drivers on the roads get impatient with learner drivers, whether they get stuck behind one, or have to wait until they have finished their three-point turn in the road.
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We often hear about repetitive strain injuries at work, or joke that we think we’ve got one – but what happens if you do suffer such an injury? Repetitive strain injuries are caused when a muscle in the body is over used. Injuries like this usually occur in the muscles in the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders.

A typist is likely to be effected by such an injury due to the constant movement in their fingers. This can cause stress to the muscle tissues, and triggers the body to release chemicals which try to repair any damage done to the muscles. However, the prolonged repetitive movement in the fingers can outweigh the bodies attempt to repair itself. This is where the repetitive strain injury (RSI) becomes established.

A repetitive strain injury can take months or even years to appear – until this time it is likely that no symptoms will appear. Sufferers of an RSI are first notified by an ache or pain in area affected. The pain usually then gets worse or more intense when the person carries on using the damaged muscles. For example, the typist would feel more pain when typing. 
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Although the theme park season has come to an end, it is due to begin again in March 2011. A day out at the theme park is a fun time for anybody – it allows us to experience thrills that we wouldn’t be able to experience anywhere else. Theme parks have a variety of rides to satisfy everyone that visits them. 

Some of us prefer the water rides that are filled with unexpected fun and leave us soaked afterwards. Others prefer to stay dry but love the frill of rollercoaster rides, or any ride that spins them around and upside down at a great speed. Whatever it is about a theme park that you love and enjoy the most, there is no uncertainty in the fact that it makes for a great day out.

Just like any other facility, theme parks must maintain the health and safety of visitors to the park. They must carry out regular checks on the rides to make sure they are safe to use, and ensure they are working efficiently. They must also have domestics on site to ensure the theme park is clean, and that any spillages are cleaned up immediately. A lot of theme parks will have a written record to show that their health and safety checks have been carried out.
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Cauda Equina Syndrome is a serious medical condition. When a patient is ill medics have a small time gap to spot the symptoms of the illness. In some cases, they fail to do so in reasonable time; can result in permanent disability or prolonged suffering for the patient. Failure to spot such symptoms can be seen as medical negligence, which can give you the right to make an injury compensation claim. 

Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) is a serious condition which is caused by the compression of the nerves in the lower portion of the spinal canal. If diagnosed it is considered a surgical emergency because if CES is left untreated it can lead to permanent disability. Medics use a number of red flags when diagnosing the syndrome; this makes them aware of the seriousness of the disease.
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Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are designed to protect employees from any injuries caused by Manual Handling at work. Manual Handling is not just specified to lifting, but also to carrying, lowering, pushing, and pulling. In order for employers to make sure their employees know how to do Manual Handling in a way they won’t injure themselves, they must provide manual handling training.

Records kept by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that the most common injury sustained by people carrying out manual handling at work is a back injury; although injuries to arms and feet are also fairly common. Records kept by the HSE also say that more than a third of all accidents at work that resulted in the person been injured for more than three days are related to manual handling at work.

A lot of us think that it’s only workers in places such as factories, building sites and farms, that are at risk of having a manual handling accident. The truth is, regardless of where you work, whether it is an office, hospital or shop, etc, you are still at risk.
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Anyone who has been involved in an accident at work will be aware of the implications they can have on everyday life. Not only do they carry the risk of preventing you from returning to work in the area where your skills lie, they can also make other possible employers turn you away when you try to get back into work.

Some job roles put employees in circumstances where accidents unfortunately are always going to be a risk. For example, manual labour, such as working on a building site; were strict health and safety regulations are in place that employers and employees must abide by to keep the chance of them becoming involved in an accident to a minimum. However, there is always going to be that risk of them becoming injured at work.

There was a story in the news about a man in Ireland who lost his arm whilst working with a cement mixer at a school in Belfast. The man, who is understood to have been in his early twenties, was working at St Bernadette’s Primary School in Ballymurphy, Belfast. His hand got caught in the cement mixer causing his arm to be ripped off at the shoulder.
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Road traffic accidents are a common occurrence on the roads in the U.K. We have all probably witnessed some kind of RTA in our lifetime, whether we became stuck in traffic due to that accident or were an eye witness to it.

There was recently a story in the news when a man was found guilty of causing a road traffic accident, which took the life of a 20-year-old woman. The driver was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The driver, Mr Brian Redfern, was driving on the A908 in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, when the accident took place. He was racing another vehicle at the time of the accident; this was driven by 21-year-old Craig Lawson. Both vehicles were travelling at a high speed which caused Redfern to hit the on-coming vehicle driven by 20-year-old Rachael Ward.
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When we send our children to school we do so in the hope that they will grow to have a highly successful career. School prepares our children for everything they need to know in the future and gives them the options to choose any career they want.

When our children are at school we expect that they will receive the care and attention they need. Teachers will do everything they can to ensure their safety when at school, and help them achieve to the best of their ability.

If your child does become injured in an incident at school, there is usually a school nurse on site who will assess their injuries, then carry out the necessary arrangements to get them the medical attention they need. If our children feel unwell at school they are usually sent to visit the school nurse before their parents are called and they are sent home.
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A lot of us visit our local leisure centre on a regular basis; it may be that we attend fitness classes there or that they have a swimming pool that we use. Whatever the reason, a duty of care by the staff on site is expected for us. It is their responsibility to ensure that all hazards are kept to a minimum and to ensure our safety.

Any leisure centre we visit has a duty of care to follow a number of health and safety regulations. Staff on site should carry out regular building and equipment checks, along with domestic checks that ensure spillages are cleaned up immediately.

Checks in leisure centres may consist of changing room checks; these should take place regularly to ensure that nobody can slip in the showers in the changing room area. If visiting a swimming pool, staff must make visitors aware that running around the pool in unacceptable as it is slippery and may cause somebody to slip or fall.
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