Head Lice Alert!

When the word "kutu" is mentioned, one often envisions dirty poor children with unwashed hair and bodies. Well, the fact is, "kutu" is quite feared here too. Every few weeks, I would get a "Head Lice Alert" notice in the kids' school satchels.

I was stumped when I got the first notice. Surely, this couldn't be, I thought. I read and re-read the notice. That wasn't a joke. I asked around. Yep, head lice are a real problem among primary school kids. But fear not, there are many ways to get rid of these nasty little blood-sucking bugs. Just hop in to the local pharmacy and you'll find an entire shelf devoted to getting rid of head lice! There are head lice shampoo, head lice gel, head lice mousse, head lice powder, head lice solution - just take your pick. At least the treatment options seem hassle-free.

I remember when I got "kutu" on my head when I was in primary school. We were living in Langkawi at that time and we hung out with kampung kids, who understandably were very prone to catching head lice. The treatment was horrendous - kerosene. Imagine having fuel on your head! I don't know what's worse - the fact that you may turn into a human torch easily if there was some spark the moment your hair was drenched with kerosene or that the "kutu" might drive you mad if you didn't get rid of them. There wasn't much of a choice. So I had to be careful not to go near flames while I was having my "treatment". Of course after the incident I was sporting a near crew-cut style too!

So far, both Joshua and Joanne have been spared the head lice agony. Hopefully no head lice would ever take up residency on their heads. But I think I know why head lice are such a persistent problem. The weather could a be a factor. It's often so cold that some kids go without having a hair wash for more than a week! I suspect many of them do not take bath daily as well. Some might even blame it on the water restriction, I think. How convenient!

Just the thought of having "kutu" running around on the scalp is enough to make my skin crawl. Heaven help me. I hope I don't have kids coming back from school with heads full of "kutu"!

--

Of Safety And Cleanliness

Back in KL, I detested passing by construction sites. And there were (still are, I bet) scores of them everywhere. In my neighbourhood alone, there are a few here and there. And all of them are messy, filthy and dusty with all sorts fo building materials, equipment and tools strewn all over the construction sites. Some of them are not even working properly. And the makeshift "houses' occupied by the workers are such an eye sore. Worse, the mud and dirt accumulated and blocking the drainage systems frequently result in flash floods.

The only thing you can expect at a construction site in Malaysia is total mess and possibly hazards. Also, half of the workes don't wear proper safety attire. Well, you could see safety signs at the sites but I think they were put up just to pacify the authorities.

Before I came to Melbourne, I thought this is how construction sites everywhere look like. I was wrong. Construction sites here can and are supposed to be clean and tidy. I was stunned and impressed the first time I saw a construction site here. There's a huge restoration exercise and extensive renovation going on at a shopping mall near my current residence here and wow, it's amazingly clean and free of chaos.

It all boils down to the importance of work safety. And it's pretty simple actually, come to think of it. Everyone wants to go home in one piece at the end of the day. And the surest way to do that is by making sure everything is where it should be. When things are tidy and organised, it is less likely to cause accidents. Workers can also move in and out with ease.

Work safety is serious business here. More so because people here are more aware of their rights as workers and are more prepared to take legal actions if they suffer injuries while at work. You can see the same safety precautions and cleanliness at factories and vehicle workshops as well.

I guess Malaysia is in for a long wait to see that happen, not when so many construction workers don't even have valid working visas. No visas, no rights. No rights, no safety necessary. Enough said.