Summary
- National Injury Prevention Day is being celebrated on July 7th to raise awareness about preventable injuries.
- Around 48 Canadians die and 634 are hospitalised every day because of injuries.
- Injury prevention is crucial because injury costs the Canadian economy a loss of $29.4 billion every year.
- Preventable injury kills more Canadian children than any disease and more young people than all other causes combined.
- Unintentional causes such as falls, car accidents, and poisonings account for 75% of all injury-related deaths.
- Falls are the biggest cause of injury deaths, hospitalisations, emergency visits, and disability in Canada.
- Experts believe such losses can be reduced to a great extent by just spreading awareness about these issues.
What is National Injury Prevention Day?
National Injury Prevention Day is being celebrated on July 7th to raise awareness about preventable injuries. This is the ninth National Injury Prevention Day.
Its day is not fixed because it was observed last time on July 5, but since it was falling on the weekend, this year it is moved to July 7.
On this day, landmarks and important buildings are lit green to spread awareness about this cause.
This year, over 90 landmarks are going to “light up green” on National Injury Prevention Day, including CN Tower in Toronto, Calgary Tower, Calgary, and several other prominent structures throughout Canada.
Every year, thousands of Canadians face life-threatening injuries or lose their lives despite the fact that these incidents are perfectly avoidable.
Experts believe such losses can be reduced to a great extent by just spreading awareness about these issues.
Why is it observed?
Studies show that efforts to spread awareness about preventable injuries are bearing fruit. The number of injuries-related death has been reduced during the last decade.
It is important to note that different public sector and private organisations have joined hands to increase awareness about preventable injuries.
Due to all these joint efforts, today more Canadians know about the risk factors related to safety and health-related issues. The celebrations and media coverage of National Injury Prevention Day over the years have definitely helped the cause.
Despite all these positive developments, we need to keep in mind that Canadians still forget to use seat belts while driving, do not take enough safety measures in sports, and still get food-related illnesses, etc.
How Can Safety Measures Save Lives?
The government of Canada identifies 17 major different injury prevention areas that cover both indoor and outdoor safety measures. Some of these measures include areas, such as:
- Household chemical safety
- Sports gear safety tips
- Holiday safety
- Furniture, appliance and television safety
- Ice safety
Data shows awareness about these injury prevention ideas can significantly reduce accidents and save lives.
For instance, many people in winter get themselves injured as they fail to properly analyse the ice thickness before making ice skating decisions.
Experts say that parents should not allow children to go on frozen lakes or rivers unless they make sure that the ice is at least 10 centimetres (four inches) thick.
This is just one example. There are several other such areas where preventable injuries are taking a huge toll on the lives of Canadians. Hundreds of people are getting injured every day; in some cases these injuries are lifelong or even cause deaths.
Around 48 Canadians die and 634 are hospitalised every day because of injuries. Not only this, preventable injuries are also a huge burden on the national economy.
For instance, every year injuries cost the Canadian economy a loss of $29.4 billion. By running awareness campaigns, Canada can easily reduce these losses.
Conclusion
We can reduce the incidence of injury in Canada by focusing on injury prevention through education, establishing safe surroundings, implementing supportive legislation, and empowering individuals.
National Injury Prevention Day provides us an opportunity to talk about preventable injuries so that we can keep our friends and families safe.
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