June is National Safety Month

The National Safety Council has designated June as "National Safety Month". This is a national annual campaign that continues all month. The overall theme this year is "Celebrating Safe Communities" because while both the national workplace injury and illness rate and the driving collision rate have decreased somewhat, the non-work accidental injury rate has increased dramatically.

According to the National Safety Council, "Nine out of 10 accidental fatalities and two-thirds of disabling injuries to workers occur off the job. In 2005, more than 60 percent of all accidental deaths involved either workers who were off the job or their family members.

The overall economic impact of all accidental injuries exceeds $625 billion a year and is devastating to individuals, families and employers. The cost of on- and off-the-job accidental injuries is a staggering $380 billion, of which 58%, or $220 billion, are costs related to employee injuries off-the-job."

Each week has a different safety focus and specific tips as listed below:

Week I - WORKPLACE

· Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
· Ergonomics
· Lifting
· Working Safely at Heights

Week II - DRIVING

· Driving Behaviors

Week III - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

· Emergency Preparedness Workplace
· Emergency Preparedness Home

Week IV - HOME and COMMUNITY

· Indoor Air Quality
· Falls in the Home
· Poisoning Prevention
· Fire Prevention

Here is the link to the National Safety Council's "June is National Safety Month Website. You will find a lot of information at this site, including the following:

· 7 Elements Of an Off-The-Job Safety Management System
· Gap Analysis for an Off-the-Job Safety Management System
· Off-The-Job Safety Compass (Implementation Tools)
· "Making the Case" Presentation (Powerpoint)

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)