Staying safe this summer | IMPAC health and safety

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With the summer holidays almost upon us, now’s the perfect time to think about what we can do to be sure we’re still looking after our health and safety in the silly season.

Here’s a list of some things to look out for, and our tips for keeping safe and well.

Enjoy your summer break – but don’t forget to keep yourself healthy and safe. 

Speeding

The days stretching on either side of Christmas are not just the busiest time of year for our roads – they’re also some of the most dangerous.

A Herald investigation from 2016 outlined that there were more lives lost in the two weeks over Christmas than there were in entire months at other times of the year. There were 66 fatal crashes in the past five Christmas road toll periods before that, and speed was responsible for 22.8 percent of them.

Ministry of Transport data reveals that there were 11 fatal crashes and 329 reported injury crashes during the 2017/2018 Christmas holiday period: speed was accountable for 19 percent.

As our single biggest road safety issue is speed, NZTA has provided two important tips for reduction: drive safely within speed limits and adjust your speed to the conditions.

Sunburn

You know the drill… slip, slop, slap, and wrap should become your beach-side mantra this summer.

The sun poses a great risk to our safety in summer: we can’t see or feel when we’re getting burnt.

According to SunSmart, skin cancer, including melanoma, is New Zealand's most common cancer. It’s estimated that skin cancers account for 80% of all new cancers each year – and around 90% of melanoma skin cancers are caused by too much sun exposure.

The SunSmart website provides a great Sun Protection Alert, which tells you the time each day based on where you are in the country that you need to protect your skin and eyes.

Remember to keep yourself safe from sunburn this summer by slipping on a shirt or into the shade, slopping on sunscreen, slapping on a hat, and wrapping on some sunglasses.  

Swimming

New Zealand beaches are beautiful and idyllic places but can dangerous and unforgiving to even experienced swimmers.

Water Safety NZ outline that of the 105 drownings in New Zealand in 2017, 92 were preventable.

The website is filled with great tips and resources, such as a water safety awareness Q&A, a visual guide on how to identify rips, information on how to be beach water safe, and how to be pool water safe.

Remember pool etiquette this summer. Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash.

Sleepiness

As WorkSafe say, to work safely you need to be physically and mentally alert. The same goes when you’re behind the wheel, watching the kids in the pool, or manning the BBQ. Here are their tips for fighting fatigue this summer:

• Get enough sleep
• Keep hydrated
• Take regular breaks
  
  

And from Reduce the Risk, a campaign aiming to raise public awareness of the high priority road safety issues:

• Take a powernap
• Try to avoid driving when you would normally be sleeping
• Share the driving
• Snack on light, fresh foods

Sausages?

See here.

Most importantly, the team at IMPAC would like to wish you a safe, happy, and relaxing Christmas.

In line with our mission to get everyone home safe to their loved ones, this year we have donated on behalf of our clients to Surf Life Saving NZ – you can read more about their work and support them here.