BC Preventable Injury Awareness Program

400,000 People Injured
Each Year In BC

An awareness initiative to reduce preventable injuries gets underway this week, thanks to a partnership between community, safety, professional, and government organizations, Labour and Citizens’ Services minister Iain Black said today.

British Columbians will see information on TV, in the newspapers and at places around town to remind them that most injuries are preventable. The provincewide, multi-year strategy is produced by the Community Against Preventable Injuries (the Community). It highlights the most common causes of preventable injury, and what people can do to reduce the risk of being seriously injured.

“Injuries take their toll on us personally and on society as a whole,” said Black. “Most injuries are predictable and avoidable, and prevention begins with being more aware of the small risks that many of us take every day – like riding without a helmet, driving when tired, being careless on a ladder, or not reading instructions on medications.”

Each year, about 400,000 people in B.C. are injured and 1,200 die from their injuries – that’s 47 British Columbians injured every hour of every day. According to the Community, the direct cost of preventable injuries in B.C. is approximately $4 billion. Indirect costs, such as loss of productivity, account for twice that amount.

“We’re trying to challenge the attitude that preventable injuries only happen to other people,” said Dr. Ian Pike, spokesperson for the Community Against Preventable Injuries. “We want to remind British Columbians about the unnecessary risks they take on a daily basis that all too often lead to a serious injury.”

The Community has more than 35 partners, including the Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services, the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and WorkSafeBC. The Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services has invested $500,000 towards supporting the Community’s education initiatives.

To find out more about the unnecessary risks people take every day and how you can protect yourself and others against injury, visit www.preventable.ca.