2026 has arrived! Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? Have you thought about how to enhance safety in your home and workplace to better prevent an avoidable injury? We all need to be aware of—and see—the risks in our everyday lives as we go about our daily activities while at home, taking part in recreational activities, travelling, as well as in the workplace. Every person deserves a life free from preventable, life-altering, or fatal injuries!
DID YOU KNOW?
Data from Statistics Canada reveals that unintentional injuries accounted for over 20,500 fatalities in 2023. For those under 45, injury remains the primary cause of death—outpacing even cancer and heart disease! This crisis also carries a heavy economic price tag, with an annual burden of $29.4 billion.
DAILY TRAGEDIES: OFTEN ESCAPE PUBLIC NOTICE
For individuals aged 1 to 44, preventable injuries—including falls, motor vehicle collisions, and poisonings—are the leading cause of death. While these daily tragedies often escape public notice, they leave behind a devastating and lasting wake of grief for the families and friends involved.
THE OVERLOOKED CRISIS: PREVENTABLE INJURY DEATHS
Society tends to ignore the root causes of injury-related deaths until they happen in a mass-casualty event—whether it’s a high profile plane crash or a horrific tragedy like the recent New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland, which was preventable! Yet, these high-profile tragedies represent only a fraction of the lives lost; the vast majority of injury-related deaths occur quietly and out of the public eye.
THE SILENT CRISIS: WHY INJURY PREVENTION GOES UNNOTICED
Why is the conversation around injuries so quiet? When we lose someone to an injury—be it a house fire, a drowning, or a motor vehicle collision—it is a devastating personal loss. Yet, because these tragedies happen to individuals rather than large groups, they rarely spark a national conversation. We tend to focus on major disasters, overlooking the “silent toll” of everyday injuries. It is time we recognize that even when these deaths happen one by one, their collective impact on our families and friends is an urgent crisis that deserves our attention.
CREATING A SAFER CANADA: PREVENTING INJURIES & INJURY-RELATED DEATHS Reducing injuries and injury-related deaths requires a significant expansion of our public outreach and educational programs and initiatives at a national level. By giving people the tools and confidence to recognize risk, we can transform awareness into action, and in turn empower and energize people to understand the preventability of injuries, as well as to help prevent serious and fatal injuries.
Remember, taking the time to learn and practice injury prevention costs you nothing. Failing to do so, could lead to the unthinkable … the loss of your life and the lives of those you hold dear.
Safety—it starts with you.
