June Is National Safety Month

This June marks National Safety Month, an annual campaign sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC) that brings attention to the leading causes of death and injury in the workplace, at home, on roads, and across every community. National Safety Month helps keep Americans safe by offering educational resources on some of the most common causes for injury and death, as well as by providing critical accident prevention tips that can help save lives.

2019’s Key Injury Topics

This year, the NSC is focusing on the following causes of injury and death for National Safety Month:

• Slips, trips, and falls;
• Fatigue;
• Impairment, and:
• Hazard recognition

Injury and Fatality Data On This Year’s Safety Topics

Slips, Trips, and Falls

According to the NSC, workplace slips, trips, and falls are the third-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths (falls are the leading cause of death in certain industries, like construction). On average, more than 30,000 people die from falls at home or work annually. Despite the number of people permanently or fatally injured from falling, this type of accident is actually completely preventable. To prevent falls, the NSC recommends:

• At work: always planning ahead for a job. This includes discussing tasks with coworkers, determining what equipment is necessary, ensuring that proper training is in place, providing safety equipment, and using the correct tools.
• At home: one of the best ways to prevent falls is to remove clutter, repair or get rid of tripping hazards, and installing or using handrails/grab bars if necessary.

Fatigue

Being fatigued behind the wheel results in deadly consequences. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drowsy driving is responsible for more than 70,000 automobile crashes, 43,000 injuries, and nearly 1,000 deaths each year. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace fatigue increases the risk for injury and death. During evening shifts, accident rates are nearly 20% higher; during overnight shifts, accident rates go up by a whopping 30%.

Impairment

While drowsiness and fatigue are both types of impairment, being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs causes one death every fifty minutes. Here are some other facts on driving while impaired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• More than 10,000 people die in alcohol-impaired driving crashes annually;
• Approximately 1 million drivers are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics per year, and:
• Marijuana users are about 25% more likely to be in a crash than drivers who are not impaired

Being impaired at work can also be deadly. In a CDC survey, more than 15% of workers reported being impaired at work at least one time within the last year, and almost 10% reported being hung-over. Because of how dangerous it is to be under the influence of alcohol/and or drugs while working or driving, it is imperative to be responsible and to always drive – and work – sober.

Hazard Recognition

Recognizing hazards is one of the best and most effective ways to prevent avoidable accidents from happening. Employers are legally obligated to recognize hazards and implement safety solutions to guard workers from injury and fatality-causing accidents – and there are steps people can take to prevent accidents from happening at home, too (see the tips on slips, trips, and falls above). If you see a hazard at your job, make sure to report it immediately.

Our team here at Galfand Berger would like to wish you and your loved ones good health this June, but also every other month! If you have any other questions, feel free to contact a representative at our firm directly.

Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP Representing Injured Individuals Since 1947

If you have a legal question or concern, please contact our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Galfand Berger. With offices located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To schedule a consultation, call us at 800-222-8792 or complete our online contact form.