It was a couple of minutes before 8 am when I felt a sense of jolt. There was an earthquake. I was at the office and our office is at the 7th floor of a building along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City when I noticed my swivel chair swinging lightly. It was noticeable enough because after a few seconds, all employees in the floor were on their feet trying to verify if indeed there’s an earthquake. And in fact, it was reported later the day that a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro Monday morning and was felt as far as Metro Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that the tectonic quake struck at about 7:50 a.m. It was felt at Intensity IV in Looc, Lubang; Intensity III in Batangas City ; Iba, Zambales and Clark, Pampanga; and Intensity II in Talisay, Batangas, Calamba, Laguna, Makati , Manila , Pasay , Pasig . Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong and Cavite.
Well, we are in Quezon City but we felt it. I think it was intensified by the fact that we are on a high-rise building. My parents who live within the Quezon City area didn’t have a clue when I asked them if they felt the tremors.
Most call center sites are located on high-rise buildings and the knowledge that you are on top of a 30 storey-building during an earthquake can cause extreme panic. But this should be avoided. Listed below are a few earthquake safety tips from the SagipKapamilya website which when kept in mind can spell safety during an earthquake.
WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS AN EARTHQUAKE DURING BUSINESS HOURS AND YOU ARE IN A BUILDING:
1. Duck, cover and hold. Advise others to do the same. Do not run or panic.
2. Do not leave the building until the motion stops and it is safe. Stay where you
are. If indoors stay indoors. Most injuries occur because people are trying to enter or leave buildings in a state of panic.
3. If inside the building, take cover under a desk, heavy table or bench, or against
inside walls and doorways, or in the corner of the room. Stay away from
glass, windows, and outside doors. Watch out for falling debris or tall
equipment that may topple or slide across the floor.
4. Do not dash for exits since stairways may be broken or jammed with people.
Do not use elevators as the power may fail. Seek safety in the immediate
area you are in and then calmly evacuate the facility after the quake.
5. Do not distress if you hear alarms going off or if the sprinklers begin to
operate. These systems will likely be activated in the event of a major
tremor. Expect to hear noise from breaking glass, cracks in walls, and
falling objects.
6. Prepare for more than one aftershock. Aftershocks are common after an
earthquake. After the first motion is felt, there may be a temporary
decrease in the motion followed by another shock. Aftershocks can occur
several minutes, hours, or days after an initial shock.
7. Do not use candles, matches, or open flames during or after the tremor.
Extinguish any fires immediately with a fire extinguisher.
8. When leaving be alert for possible falling objects.
9. Assist people to safety.
10. Administer first aid as needed.
11. Make sure coworkers are safe.
12. Report to the Department's Evacuation Assembly Area.
Note: Each supervisor is responsible for assuring the safe evacuation of staff
and clients.
Source: http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/
Today is the start of the Daylight Saving Time in some states of Australia. Since we are supporting Australian customers our schedule will also be adjusted one hour earlier starting tomorrow. So if our shift normally starts at 6:30am to 3:30pm, it will now start at 5:30am to 2:30pm until the DST ends in April of next year.
What does this means to us? Well it only means we will have to wake up an hour earlier. And I can tell you that it will be a real punishment for us in the first one or two weeks since our body clock has been accustomed to the usual schedule. Another effect which can bring smiles in our faces is the added compensation for us starting tomorrow. We will now be entitled to hazard pays because of this favorable change of schedule.
One of the advantages of supporting Australian customers is we get to live normal lives as their time is just behind our time for 2 or 3 hours depending on the state. We also don’t have shifting schedules since our support is only open during office hours in Australia. And when they are celebrating public holidays, most of the time our lines are also closed.
By the way, I think two or three states in Australia are also celebrating public holidays tomorrow. They are celebrating Labor Day. This is good news for us since it is expected that we will have fewer calls during public holidays.
Have a great weekend to everyone!
A few days after the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy, some areas in Metro Manila and nearby municipality are still in the dark since the power restoration of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is not yet fully completed.
However, the electricity distributor, issued customer safety reminders as it begins to restore power in nearly all of its service areas, including places which were previously submerged in flood water. They are asking customers to "exercise caution before plugging and turning on their appliances," and to seek advice from licensed electrical practitioners if it would already be safe to run power back on.
Meralco likewise provided a list of precautionary measures with regard electrical facilities after a household has been submerged in flood.
1) Make sure that the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker is turned off. When you need to touch a switch and the floor is still wet, stand on dry board or carton or wear rubber sole boots. Use a dry stick or rubber gloves, or well-insulated pliers or tools to pull handles;
2) Unplug all equipment and appliances. Turn off the switch of permanently connected equipment. Unscrew all light bulbs if possible;
3) Remove mud and dirt from the service equipment or main circuit breaker/fuse and its enclosure with rubber gloves and rubber sole shoes;
4) Allow electrical wires, connectors and other wiring devices to dry completely. Drying may take days, depending on how wet the system is and on external temperature;
5) When all electrical wires and accessories are dry and clean, the wiring system must be checked, and;
6) The appliance itself must be completely dry, serviced or checked by a licensed electrician. Do not turn on damaged electrical appliances.