DID YOU KNOW?
Canada faces unique challenges when it comes to developing and delivering injury prevention programs due to geographic disparities; our vast and diverse geography presents significant challenges in delivering injury prevention programs to all areas of our country.
CANADA’S GROWING SENIOR POPULATION
The rapid growth expected among Canada’s senior population in the coming years is one of the most significant demographic trends in our country’s history. Sectors such as healthcare, employment and housing are largely unprepared for an aging population, without the proper systems in place or equipment to address the needs of seniors today.
ADDRESSING THE BURDEN OF INJURIES
It is clear that more needs to be done to address the burden of injuries across Canada. Here are some ways we can shift our focus:
ENHANCE GROWTH, PROMOTION, MARKETING, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
- Grow the injury prevention field by educating more injury prevention providers/specialists.
- We need to strengthen individual knowledge and skills in injury prevention.
- Promote and market community injury prevention education.
- Foster injury prevention coalitions and networks.
- Change organizational practices.
SAFER ROADS
- We need safer roads by way of design and construction such as twinning highways, which will ensure better separation between opposing traffic lanes. In addition, safer roads consist of being better maintained, especially in the winter months. As well, we can be fairly certain that enhanced smart signage with warning lights, which can also transmit crucial data to drivers of upcoming issues will be broadly utilized in the years to come.
- Speed reduction is a crucial factor, which relates to the safety for drivers, passengers, pedestrians and all road users.
- Higher speeds are a known factor, which increases severity of crashes since drivers have less time to react.
- Reducing vehicle speed has been proven to be effective in preventing crashes and reducing the severity of injuries for all users; yet, reducing speed limits is rarely supported by drivers, as well as politicians.
- Additionally, we (drivers) need to adhere to emergency alerts when they are issued … especially when advising to avoid travel; such was the case last week when a fierce winter storm reduced visibility to near zero in many areas of southern Manitoba, which led to multiple motor vehicle collisions, as well as pileups.
IMPROVE SET UP:
- We need to improve how our homes and recreational areas are set up.
- New home construction and design (floor layout) needs to be improved with injury prevention in mind.
- Addressing how to retrofit existing residences to make them more accessible to everyone supports and aids in preventing falls, which is the leading cause of injury-related death in Canada.
ENHANCED BUILDING CODES & FIRE CODES:
- Enhanced building and fire codes will improve safety.
- Currently, there is a 3-storey hotel being constructed in Canada; it does not require an automatic sprinkler system as per the relevant Building Code of the day … due to its size in square metres. In the case of the 3-storey hotel, even though it falls below the current threshold for mandatory automatic sprinklers, the potential benefits are significant. Automatic sprinklers protect guests and staff from fire; they can help reduce deaths and property damage. As well, automatic sprinklers contain fires quickly, preventing them from spreading and giving occupants more time to escape. Also, throughout Canada, there are potential challenges for communities who may not have a fire service who can respond immediately and with a sufficient number of fully trained/highly skilled firefighters and fire apparatus. Additionally, this underscores the heightened importance of on-site early fire suppression measures such as automatic sprinklers.
INJURY PREVENTION IN SCHOOLS:
- Injury prevention should be integrated in the school education system; early injury prevention education builds lifelong advocates, which enables students to take these lessons learned into adulthood, while sharing and spreading awareness to families, friends, workplaces, and communities.
- Schools that embrace and prioritize injury prevention help build safer communities for the future.
NEED FOR SOCIETAL SHIFT:
- There is a need for a societal shift; while educating individuals is important, the emphasis must move towards long-lasting changes where we alter our systems, structures and overall environment so that it inherently becomes difficult for anyone to get seriously injured or killed.
- We must continue onward with influencing, persuading and holding the people who have power to make these changes a reality … ultimately accountable.
Safety— it starts with you.
