KEY ISSUE
WHEN DID YOU LAST CHECK YOUR NUTS? As part of SWA’s campaign to raise awareness for men’s health, Sales Engineer Lewis Pickering is sharing his experience with the importance of checking yourself and speaking out.
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’m a happily ordinary man, with a happily ordinary life that I share with my wife, two sons, elderly parents and new grandchild. It goes without saying that we all try hard to take care of our loved ones, and especially with the difficulties of the last few months, we have all become more conscious of keeping the others around us safe – but that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to our own selves. How many times have we been told to check ourselves out, and been warned of the signs to look out for? But do we do it? I know I would moan at my dad if he were worried and not getting checked out straight away, but would never have the conversation with myself, practising what I preach. This was until the moment that I found a lump where there wasn’t one before. My first thought was that it would go away, surely it would? I felt embarrassed and refused to talk to my friends about my worries, simply because I was brought up not to discuss feelings, as that was seen as a sign of weakness. After a few months, I swallowed my pride, made an appointment and got checked out. I am relieved to say that after various tests and a strong course of antibiotics, it was found to be no cause for concern, after which I was given a clean bill of health. The relief made up for the embarrassment, and the instant removal of stress was overwhelming. We all want that perfect feeling of being happy and well at home, and there is no reason why this can’t also be applied to our installations at work.
20 | November 2020
Key Issue – SWA.indd 20
We all know that detail matters when it comes to our nuts. SWA’s earthing nuts are made of 99% brass and come in seven different size ranges, varying from 20mm to 75mm. They are also supplied with grub screws, connecting bolts and an Allen key, so you won’t have search for long in the toolbox for those elusive bits of kit. The nut is also designed to resist vibration, pretty much like our own – right guys? There is nothing like how it enables a direct high intensity connection for protective earthing – just what we all want from an earthing nut. Everything comes in different shapes and sizes, and SWA’s earthing nuts are no exception to this, but in this case, size does matter to get the right connection. The teeth on the earthing nuts provide voltage equalising connection to the EMI shielding standards, including grinding through the paint to ensure a clean connection. The unique cutting teeth design bites into the wall of the enclosure so the gland can be tightened with one tool from the outside, therefore no screwing is required, meaning that this is the perfect nut to keep you and others safe. Just as much as safety at home matters, the earthing nuts guarantee protection and security in the workplace with a 60% saving in installation time and no compromise on the enclosure IP rating, as well as having the added benefit of fitting right, first time, every time!
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SWA’s earthing nut is easy to install, it takes no time at all, and you only need one hand to get the job done. We should do the same for our health and examine ourselves regularly. It doesn’t take much time and only one hand is required! We all experience stresses and strains in our daily lives, at home and work, that can impact our health. In view of this, I cannot stress more highly the importance of getting something that may seem irregular on your body checked out because this can reduce those stresses tenfold. So, get it sorted! Although things have ended well for me, this is not the case for the 2,300 men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year in the UK. Together, with continual advancements in medical technology, changing our attitudes and getting checked earlier, we can help change these statistics. Since my diagnosis of ‘all clear’, I have opened up to friends, family and colleagues about the importance of checking yourself. I encourage you to do the same. Check yourself and be safe at work and at home. For more stories like mine and to find out more information about the importance of raising awareness of testicular and prostate cancer, visit Movember.com. Or, to learn how to check yourself, please head to www.nhs.uk/conditions/ testicular-cancer. SWA, swaonline.co.uk
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16/10/2020 14:52
