Injury Prevention
The significance of injury:
- Injuries are predictable and largely preventable.
- Injuries account for a significant burden of disease, world-wide, nation-wide and state-wide.
- Injuries are often serious and can be deadly.
- Injury is the most common cause of death in the first half of life.
- Injuries leave many people with serious disability and long-term conditions.
- Unintentional and intentional injuries affect the quality of life of millions of children, young people and their families.
- Costs are far greater than an individual’s medical treatment and rehabilitation costs.
- The cost of a life, of lost potential and opportunities foregone are immeasurable.
- Injuries cause significant personal, social and economic costs to individuals, families and communities.
- Injury prevention is a national health priority.
Common forms of injuries include road injuries; fire, burns and scalds; suicide; unintentional poisonings; those related to violence; falls; drowning; and other unintentional forms.
Different Sectors of Injury Prevention:
- Traffic safety
- Home safety
- Work safety
- Sport and recreational safety
- School safety
- Safety in public places
- Safety for children
- Safety for seniors
- Violence prevention
- Suicide prevention
- Injury surveillance
Examples of stakeholders across different injury sectors and different community levels:
- Representatives from multiple levels of government (local, state and national);
- Local government authorities and council departments;
- State-wide and national bodies responsible for public safety within that community, such as Office of Crime Prevention, Office of Road Safety, WA Police Services;
- Other local emergency response services, such as FESA, Police Service;
- The local health care system, including relevant hospital representatives, community health and disability support services, and any other preventative/health promotion taskforce groups;
- Additional community groups such as local schools and educational institutions, recreational organisations, seniors associations, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups;
- Business sectors; and
- Any other interest groups who impact on specific community safety and injury prevention issues.