01
Recognize Hazards
A hazard is something that can contribute to harm. Learning to notice hazards is an important first step in prevention.
PERSONAL CARE · PAGE 05
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Injury Prevention belongs to the Personal Care pathway.
Personal care is not only about what we do for ourselves. It also includes recognizing hazards, preparing for everyday situations, protecting ourselves and others, and helping create safer homes, schools, communities, and environments.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Prevention starts before an injury happens.
Injury prevention is about understanding hazards, identifying situations that increase risk, and taking reasonable steps to make everyday activities safer.
02
Understand Risk
Risk can change depending on the person, activity, environment, equipment, and circumstances.
03
Build Safer Environments
Prevention is stronger when individuals, families, schools, communities, and systems work together.
PREVENTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Look ahead. Notice what could make a situation less safe.
Many injuries occur in ordinary environments. Prevention therefore begins with everyday awareness rather than waiting for something to go wrong.
- Notice hazards before beginning an activity.
- Use appropriate safety equipment and follow instructions.
- Consider the environment as well as the activity.
- Speak up when something does not seem safe.
- Know when to stop and ask for help.
PERSONAL HINTS
Four habits that support prevention
Pause
Take a moment to notice your surroundings before starting an activity.
Check
Ask whether equipment, surroundings, and instructions are appropriate for the activity.
Communicate
Tell a trusted person when you notice a hazard or feel uncertain about safety.
Prepare
Knowing what to do before an emergency can make it easier to respond calmly and responsibly.
EXPLORE
Where can injuries happen?
Injury prevention becomes easier to understand when we examine different environments and activities.
Home
Explore how the design and organization of everyday spaces can influence safety.
School
Think about classrooms, laboratories, playgrounds, sports, and shared spaces.
Physical Activity
Safe participation includes preparation, appropriate equipment, and understanding the activity.
Travel & Transport
Transportation safety involves people, vehicles, infrastructure, and decisions.
Work & Community
Different environments create different hazards and require different prevention approaches.
Emergencies
Preparedness can help individuals and communities respond more effectively when unexpected events occur.
LEARN
Understanding injury prevention
01
Injuries have multiple causes.
An injury may be influenced by individual behaviour, the environment, equipment, infrastructure, social conditions, or several factors together.
02
Risk depends on context.
The same activity can carry different levels of risk depending on where, when, how, and by whom it is performed.
03
Prevention can occur at many levels.
Individuals can make safer choices, while families, schools, communities, governments, and organizations can improve environments and systems.
04
Safety is a shared responsibility.
A safer environment is rarely created by one person alone. Prevention often depends on cooperation, communication, design, policy, and evidence.
05
Asking for help is part of prevention.
Recognizing uncertainty and seeking appropriate guidance is a responsible safety behaviour.
THINK
Look beyond the immediate situation.
Good prevention asks not only “What happened?” but also “Why was this situation possible?”
01
What could go wrong?
Identify hazards before acting.
02
What can be changed?
Consider practical ways to reduce risk.
03
Who could be affected?
Think beyond yourself and consider others.
04
What does evidence tell us?
Look for reliable information rather than assumptions.
CONNECT
Injury prevention grows from SELF to WORLD.
What looks like a personal safety decision can also be connected to family practices, community design, public policy, and global action.
My Choices
Notice hazards, understand risk, and make responsible choices.
Look Out for One Another
Share safety knowledge and communicate when something seems unsafe.
Safer Places
Think about schools, recreation spaces, roads, housing, and public environments.
Prevention Systems
Policies, standards, infrastructure, education, and public health programs can reduce risk.
Shared Safety
Injury prevention is a global health issue influenced by inequality, infrastructure, education, and access.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Safety is shaped by the world around us.
People do not experience the same risks or have the same opportunities to prevent injury. Conditions in which people live, learn, work, travel, and grow matter.
Housing
Safe, stable housing can influence exposure to hazards and opportunities for prevention.
Education
Knowledge and safety education can influence awareness, confidence, and decision-making.
Transportation
Roads, public transport, vehicles, and infrastructure all influence injury risk.
Environment
Physical environments can either reduce or increase hazards.
Access to Services
Prevention and timely support depend partly on access to appropriate services and information.
Equity
Effective prevention should consider who is most exposed to risk and who has the fewest resources to reduce it.
PREVENTION IS A SYSTEM
Safer choices are important — but safer systems matter too.
Injury prevention should not place all responsibility on individuals. Good design, safe infrastructure, clear information, appropriate standards, and effective policies can make safer choices easier.
This is an important global health lesson: prevention is both personal and structural.
UNITED NATIONS SDGs
Injury prevention connects with the SDGs.
SDG 3
Good Health & Well-Being
Prevention contributes to healthier and safer lives.
SDG 4
Quality Education
Safety knowledge and health literacy support informed action.
SDG 5
Gender Equality
Prevention should consider different exposures, vulnerabilities, and opportunities.
SDG 10
Reduced Inequalities
Prevention should address unequal exposure to hazards and unequal access to protection.
SDG 11
Sustainable Communities
Safer communities depend on thoughtful planning, infrastructure, and public spaces.
SDG 16
Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Strong systems, standards, accountability, and responsible governance support public safety.
GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP & EVIDENCE
Think like a prevention leader.
Global health leaders use evidence to understand problems, identify preventable risks, design solutions, and consider equity.
See the Problem
What hazards or patterns are visible?
Examine Evidence
What reliable evidence helps explain the problem?
Think About Solutions
What could make people, places, or systems safer?
Ask Who Benefits
Would the proposed solution help everyone fairly?
ONE STEP
Reflect on It →
Find one hazard. Think of one improvement.
Look around a familiar environment and identify one situation where safety could be improved. Then ask: What simple change could make this place safer?
REFLECT
What did you discover?
01
What hazards do you notice more easily now?
02
What factors can make the same activity more or less risky?
03
How can prevention involve people beyond yourself?
04
What evidence would you want before proposing a solution?
ACT
Turn awareness into responsible action.
Choose one realistic prevention action. It could be learning more, sharing reliable safety information, identifying a hazard, improving an environment, or encouraging others to think about prevention.
NOTICE → UNDERSTAND → PREVENT → RESPOND → SHARE
CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY