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From 1994/95 to 1997/98, the number of injury admissions in Canadian hospitals declined by 8 per cent. The leading cause of injury admissions was falls (54 per cent), with motor vehicle collisions a distant second (15 per cent). Among those aged 65 years and older, falls accounted for 85 per cent of injury admissions. Injuries due to falls were also the leading cause of in-hospital deaths (76 per cent) and days in hospital due to injury (68 per cent). Females accounted for 58 per cent of injury admissions due to falls.
1999 Hospital Injury Admissions Report, Canadian Institute for Health Information

US statistics show that trampolines are responsible for 83,000 serious injuries a year requiring hospital emergency room treatment. Seventy-five per cent of those injuries involve kids under the age of 15. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that at least six deaths have occurred on trampolines in the home. Parents take note.
OSHA Bulletin News, Sept. 28, 2000

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has launched a guide to help workers deal with workplace stress caused by work overload, excessive hours and overbearing management. The guide was launched on October 10, as part of World Mental Health Day. ACTU president Sharan Burrow said that stress at work is emerging as the major mental health and occupational safety issue of the 21st century.
NSCA's Safety Bulletin #62 - October 13, 2000, National Safety Council of Australia

A recent study of psychopaths in the workplace by John Clarke, a University of Sydney psychologist and criminal profiler, claims that in Australian workplaces up to five per cent of staff is affected by the psychiatric condition known as psychopathy. These people show a pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Among the identifying signs: a narcissistic personality, a grandiose sense of self, lying, cheating, smooth talking, bored, changing jobs quickly and believing they should be higher up in the company.
Australian Safety, October 2000, National Safety Council of Australia

The number of patients admitted to Ontario's leading trauma hospitals due to severe injuries rose 15 per cent in the five years between 1994 and 1999; during 1998/99, there were 3,367 admissions. Deaths in the emergency department from severe injuries increased by 24 per cent, to 503 in 1998/99. Motor vehicle collisions accounted for nearly half of the injuries, although they decreased slightly over the five years. Admissions due to falls increased by almost half.
November 8 Media Release, Canadian Institute for Health Information

After a low of only three water-related fatalities in 1997, snowmobiling deaths in Ontario skyrocketed to 11 in 1998, above the long-term average. Most of these fatalities involved alcohol (73 per cent). In 91 per cent of the fatal incidents, the victim was not wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) or flotation suit.
The Ontario Drowning Report 2000 Edition, Lifesaving Society

More game is killed in the US by vehicles than by hunters. This is due in part to an explosion of the deer population, from about 10 million in the 1980s to 25 million today. While highway officials seek ways to keep wildlife off the roads, safety advocates stress that the best way to prevent animal/vehicle collisions is to be vigilant at all times.
The Quill, Vol 13, No. 10, October 2000, Baldwin & Lyons, Inc.

Head injuries — even those initially thought to be mild — may lead to more long-term disabilities than previously thought, according to a recent study led by Dr. Graham Teasdale of the University of Glasgow in Scotland. One year after the injury, the rates of moderate or severe disability were 47 per cent, 45 per cent and 48 per cent in people with mild, moderate and severy head injuries respectively.
Transition, September/October 2000, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities

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