Friday was the last day of the Health and Safety week in Lagos, it was also the last day of my Risk Assessment training. The morning started with a quiz and reflection on the week with all 350 employees, there was an amazing atmosphere with lots of energy, laughing, shouting and singing – sadly I had no idea what was going on as they talk too fast and their accent was lost on me. Victor had asked me to photograph the event for the company newsletter. I had my final Risk Assessment group and they were the quietest this week, I think they just wanted to go as it is a Friday so we managed to get out earlier today as they didnt ask many questions. A couple of them went to mosque in the afternoon ... read more

Yesterday while most of you were tucking into your roast potatoes I flew across to West Africa, specifically Lagos, Nigeria. I was questioned on the plane by a rather large Nigerian woman who turned in her seat and shook my arm. “why are you going to Nigeria, we do not see many of you in Nigeria (white women)” I told her I was working there… I could see her mind ticking while she thought, “ohhhh you must have a Nigerian boyfriend then?” I think I said No No NO I have a British boyfriend thank you a bit too fast and strong for her and she gave me a smile and moved away like she didn’t believe me… The first time I travelled to Lagos, Nigeria the luggage belt broke, I waited 2 hours in 40 ... read more

Today I have been to the Tonkilili Iron ore mine, we left early for a 4 hour drive up through the country through mountains, hills and local villages. Sierra Leone is lush green with palm trees everywhere but tinged with orange dust, just like Ghana, it also has amazing scenery. We passed many villages with men building mud huts or making bricks, women washing clothes in streams or cooking and children carrying water or playing. I was snapping away with my camera and then “BANG” Charles (driver) had hit something he stopped and he said “I’m going back for that”, I will have that for my dinner, AND that ladies and gentlemen is why I take my own food to Sierra Leone! He had hit a hawk, it was an amazing bird, so huge and I ... read more

Today was the final day of the managing safely course and the managers on the course arrived very anxiously, even early - not something you often see a Kenyan do... But after some revision they took the exam and passed with flying colours ( pending verification from IOSH) so I am very proud. Between Mark, Mike and I we have trained managers in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania and now Kenya, mark and Mike will be doing Ghana next and I will be doing Egypt so we are well on our way to improving the safety culture of our business from the top :) My colleague John asked me about keeping panadol in the first aid kit, I told him no, I explained that in keeping this in the box and people continuously using it they could ... read more

I hear in the UK its been very very heavy rain, lots of flooding and even people being killed, OMG! what will I come back to? I am sitting here in the office in an Atrium, in a place that would be lovely to work in if the weather was nice all the time, my desk is against a wall with a small room and some lighting but in the middle where there are plants and a patio there is no roof, and all week the sun has shone in and its been glorious as I dont train until the afternoons, Mark does the mornings. Yesterday the Kenyan army trained their pilots and scared the hell out of me as they were really low, but today it is raining, after all it is rainy season and ... read more