Forward-thinking safety leadership requires leading indicators, which enable the understanding of the effectiveness of safety efforts underway at an operation. Management that dedicates time to continuous improvement uses leading indicators not only as a way to prevent injuries, but also to continuously improve productivity and quality in plants.
Tag: injury prevention
Prevent Child Injuries – Protect the Ones You Love
More than 9 million children between birth and age 19 are seen for injuries each year in U.S. emergency departments, and injuries are the leading cause of death among children in this age group.
The top causes of child injury and the steps you can take to prevent them.
Burns
- Install and maintain smoke alarms in your home.
- Develop and practice a family fire escape plan.
- Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
- Use safe cooking practices, such as never leaving food unattended on the stove.
Drownings
- Install a four-sided isolation fence, with self-closing and self-latching gates, around backyard swimming pools.
- Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and get recertified every two years.
- Supervise young children at all times around bathtubs, swimming pools, and natural bodies of water.
Falls
- Use playground equipment that is properly designed and maintained, and that has a soft landing surface material below.
- Use home safety devices, such as guards on windows that are located above ground-level, stair gates, and guard rails.
- Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, like stairs and playground equipment.
Poisonings
- Store medicines and other toxic products such as cleaning solutions in locked or childproof cabinets.
- Put the poison control number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone.
- Dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs.
via CDC Features – Prevent Child Injuries during Home Safety Month.
The High Cost of Injuries at Work
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that approximately 3.3 million serious work-related injuries and about 4,300 fatalities occurred in 2009. The human cost of preventable workplace injuries and deaths is incalculable. However, according to the 2010 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, the direct cost of the most disabling workplace injuries and illnesses in 2008 amounted to $53.42 billion in U.S. workers compensation costs, more than one billion dollars per week.