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According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children of parents with the highest income and educations levels are more than twice as likely to suffer a recreational injury requiring medical attention than children whose parents earn less and have less education. Based on a study of 40,000 injuries, there were 52 injuries per 1,000 children in poor families, and 119 per 1,000 in affluent families. Researchers suggest the higher injury rate can be partly explained by exposure to activities that less affluent families cannot afford, such as skiing and organized sports.
National Post, April 12, 2002

In 2001, Canada's impaired driving incidents rose for the first time in nearly 20 years. Reported incidents went up 7%, and the number of persons charged by police rose 1%. Police reported more than 90,000 incidents of impaired driving, with about 71,000 persons charged.

Given that alcohol-related road fatalities continued to decline, it is difficult to say how much of this increase was due to a change in reporting procedure, and how much was an actual increase.
Crime Statistics, Juristat, July 17, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics

A New Zealand study found that drivers who identified themselves as sleepy had an 11 times higher injury crash risk compared with alert drivers. The risk of driving between 2 and 5 a.m. was five times that of other times of day. Drivers who had five hours sleep or less in the last 24 hours had nearly three times the risk of crashing. The University of Auckland researchers concluded that reducing the prevalence of these three behaviors may reduce the incidence of injury crashes by up to 19%.
Driver sleepiness and risk of serious car occupant injury: population based case-control study, J. Connor et al., British Medical Journal, 11 May 2002, from IP Online
Correspondence to: J Connor j.connor@auckland.ac.nz

An Australian report summarizes the characteristics of 36 events between 1996 and 1998 involving young children being killed by low-speed motor vehicles. Most of the cases involved young toddlers close to stationary vehicles in the driveways of suburban residences. They were old enough to be mobile but too small for the driver to see easily. The vehicles tended to be large. These events typically involve very young children — mainly toddlers - in driveways or other private property, and require their own set of safety countermeasures.
Driveway deaths: fatalities of young children in Australia as a result of low-speed motor vehicle impacts, Australian Transport Safety Board, published April 2002, downloadable from ATSB Web site

An Alabama study suggests that older drivers who have cataract surgery are half as likely to be in a collision as those who do not have the operation. The study of 277 cataract patients aged 55 to 84 found that collisions increased for both groups. The rate rose 27% for those who had surgery, compared with 75% for those who refused it. Cataracts are the leading cause of vision impairment among the elderly.
Impact of Cataract Surgery on Motor Vehicle Crash Involvement by Older Adults, Journal of the American Medical Association, August 21, 2002, vol. 288:841-849

Last winter, more people died in skiing accidents at Colorado resorts than ever before. There were a total of 15 deaths at nine resorts, with no discernable common elements. As a result, major resorts such as Vail and Aspen will require children to wear helmets in the 2002-2003 season. Medical officers say helmets can reduce the severity of head injuries, which account for as much as 90% of all skiing deaths.
New York Times, March 31, 2002

During the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the New York police did not communicate. The police failed to warn the fire department that the second tower was about to collapse. Over 120 firefighters, a third of the ones who died that day, were in the north tower when it fell. Most did not know about the risk of collapse or even that the south tower had fallen. The New York Times discovered that the two departments were not talking to each other. Even if they had been, they did not use a shared radio frequency. In addition, there was no record of joint disaster response training.
Globe and Mail, July 8, 2002

There were 20 ATV deaths in Alberta between July, 1999 and June 2002 (three years). Victims ranged in age from three to 80 years old; 45% were children and teenagers. At least 60% died as a result of head injuries. Over half of the deaths occurred between July and September. The majority of deaths (45%) were due to the ATV flipping or rolling, and 85% of the deceased were the ATV drivers. Alcohol was involved in 45% of the fatalities.
Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research Newsletter, Volume 4, No. 12, August 2002.

Europeans Launch OH&S Web Site

The European Agency for Safety and Health at work has launched a new Web site with an interface in all 11 official EU languages. The site provides free access to the agency's portfolio of publications and information services on safety and health at work, and features such as shortcuts to key information on occupational health. The organization hopes to use the site as a vehicle for educating employers on how to develop a 'preventive culture' in the workplace.

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