The findings in this report demonstrate the rapid increase in injuries associated with riding the new, light weight, folding, unpowered scooters, which are a fast growing activity in the United States. Alarming injury rate figures are presented and some useful safety advice is also provided.

Quad-bike incidents are a major cause of occupational injury and fatality on farms warranting health and safety attention. As part of a larger study, we carried out a face-to-face survey with 216 farmers in New Zealand. We quantitatively identified farmers' propensity for risk-taking, unrealistic optimism, and fatalism as risk factors in quad-bike loss-of-control events (LCEs). The purpose of the analysis presented in this article was to use these same farmers' recollections of LCEs to explore the a priori constructs in more detail using qualitative methods. Participants reporting one or more LCEs described their first LCE and any experienced in the previous 12 months. Participants provided open-text responses about what occurred at each LCE, their reflections, and general thoughts on LCE risk factors. Directed qualitative content analysis (QCA) was used to "unpack" risk-taking, unrealistic optimism, and fatalism whilst also delineating any additional concepts that farmers associate with LCEs. Risk-taking elements were more evident than unrealistic optimism or fatalism and more suggestive of farmers finding themselves in risky situations rather than engaging in risk-seeking behavior per se. Additional inductively derived categories of fatigue/stress, multitasking, inexperience, and quad-bike faults highlight the complex nature of LCEs and the importance of risk assessment covering these concepts as well as risky situations.

The abstract states: "AIM: To describe paediatric (0-15 years) motorcycle incidents in Queensland, inform safety policy and identify opportunities to improve data in this area. METHOD: Population-based study of motorcycle-related child (0-15 years) trauma, resulting in fatality or hospital admission beyond 24 h to any Queensland public hospital (2007-2009). Data compiled by Statewide Trauma Network and Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. RESULTS: Ten child fatalities were recorded (child death rate = 0.36/100,000 population 0-15 years). All were male and primary riders of their motorcycle. Nine fatalities were related to head injury; of these, five wore inadequate head protection. The coroner identified rider factors as contributory (speed, age or substance abuse) in seven cases. Motorcycle-related incidents were the second most common mechanism recorded after bicycles, comprising 6.8% of 9141 paediatric trauma cases (619 motorcycle-related incidents; 1225 injuries; admission rate = 22.2/100,000 population 0-15 years). Compared with the all-trauma population, patients were older (median age = 13 vs. 10 years) and more frequently male (85% vs. 67%). Average admission was 4.4 days (head injuries = 7.0 days; burns = 5.8 days). Most children incurred >1 injury (mean = 2.01 injuries) with fractures (45%) and open wounds (17%) most common. As a proportion of all diagnoses, most injuries were to lower limb (44%), upper limb (26%) or head and neck (16%). CONCLUSIONS: These data emphasise the need for children to use full protective equipment, especially helmets. Children are not currently protected by legislation mandating safety standards. Regulating rider age and safety standards (protective equipment, training and vehicle maintenance) may reduce the rate and severity of injury." "What is already known on this topic: 1. Current national data exclude and therefore understate child motorcycle fatalities that occur off-road. 2. Victorian emergency department data demonstrate that motorcycle-related injury in children is increasing. 3. Among adult riders in Victoria, off-road motorcycling is overrepresented in trauma data. What this paper adds: 1. Motorcycle riding is arguably the most dangerous pastime for children. 2. Rider factors including young age, inadequate head protection, excessive speed, inexperience, decision-making ability and substance misuse were identified in child motorcycle fatalities. 3. This paper highlights the need for children to wear helmets and protective equipment when riding motorcycles off-road."

The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of unreported concussion and estimate more accurately the overall rate of concussion in high school football players. The design of the study was a retrospective, confidential survey completed by all subjects at the end of the football season. A total of 1,532 varsity football players from 20 high schools in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area were surveyed. The structured survey assessed (1) number of concussions before the current season, (2) number of concussions sustained during the current season, (3) whether concussion during the current season was reported, (4) to whom concussion was reported, and (5) reasons for not reporting concussion. Results showed that of respondents, 29.9% reported a previous history of concussion, and 15.3% reported sustaining a concussion during the current football season; of those, 47.3% reported their injury. Concussions were reported most frequently to a certified athletic trainer (76.7% of reported injuries). The most common reasons for concussion not being reported included a player not thinking the injury was serious enough to warrant medical attention (66.4% of unreported injuries), motivation not to be withheld from competition (41.0%), and lack of awareness of probable concussion (36.1%). In conclusion, these findings reflect a higher prevalence of concussion in high school football players than previously reported in the literature. The ultimate concern associated with unreported concussion is an athlete's increased risk of cumulative or catastrophic effects from recurrent injury. Future prevention initiatives should focus on education to improve athlete awareness of the signs of concussion and potential risks of unreported injury.

A survey of local residents on one rural road proved a gross underreporting of road crashes.

"In this study, a series of instances of children injured by a motor vehicle set in motion by an unsupervised child are reviewed. During a 24-month period, nine such children were identified through a multihospital and coroner's office monitoring system in a single urban county. Injuries ranged from multiple abrasions and contusions to serious leg and head injuries. Three children died. The typical circumstance involved a child releasing the brake or placing the vehicle in gear in a private driveway which resulted in the vehicle striking or rolling over the victim. In four of the nine cases, the child who set the vehicle in motion fell or jumped from the vehicle and then became the injured victim. The extent of these unusual motor vehicle related injuries is unknown because they are unlikely to be reported in official police statistics. According to the study findings, there is a need to educate the public and health professionals about the risks associated with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle and the hazardous environment of the home driveway. Preventive measures would include not leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, locking unattended vehicles to prevent access, and redesigning of private driveways."

Relatively little is known about the behavior of adolescents around firearms. The present investigation was undertaken to estimate the proportion of community-residing adolescents who report that they have ever handled a gun without adult knowledge or supervision. A random digit dial interview was conducted with 5801 California adolescents as part of the California Health Interview Survey. Respondents were asked whether they have ever held a gun and whether they have ever done so without adult knowledge or supervision. Study design and population weights were applied to these data. In addition, adolescents’ reports about the most recent unsupervised handling incident were coded to ascertain what they were doing with the gun as well as with whom and where the incident occurred. Results showed that one third (33%) of California adolescents report that they have handled a firearm; 5% report that they have done so without adult knowledge or supervision. Half (49%) of all unsupervised handling involved shooting and only 11% occurred in the respondent’s home. Several demographic variables (being male, African American, living in a rural area) and risk behaviors (smoking, drinking, being the victim of a gun related threat), as well as having a gun in the home and parents not knowing the adolescent’s whereabouts in the afternoon were each associated with unsupervised gun handling. In conclusion, unsupervised gun handling is associated with other health risk behaviors. Unsupervised gun handling typically involves shooting the gun and usually occurs with friends, away from the home.

This article discusses Australian statistics around deaths resulting from injury and any trends in injury-related deaths.

The New Zealand Cot Death Study ran for three years for 1 November 87 to 31 October 90 and covered 78% of all births within New Zealand. Analysis of the full three year study data confirms the risk factors identified from the analysis of the first year of the study. Additional new information has been identified concerning:; infants sleeping position, passive smoking, infant sharing bed with another person. These are discussed in this report.

An analysis of VISS data on drowning revelaed that children under 5 accounted for 22% of deaths and 45% of near-drownings. Home pools and spas followed by baths and ponds were the most frequent locations. From 1st July 1997 all exisiting swimming pools and spas in Australia will be required to have safety barriers.

Between January 1993 and November 1996, the number of children who died as a result of air bag deployment increased, as did the proportion of vehicles equipped with dual air bags; most of the children were unrestrained or incorrectly restrained. Until passenger vehicles and light trucks are equipped with smart air bags (appropriate for persons of different sizes and ages), all children aged less than 12 years should ride in the back seat using age and size appropriate occupant restraints. This article provides detailed recommendations for preventing such injures to infants and children.

This is a review of recent child injury prevention research.The authors have collected evidence on evaluated intervention studies related to childhood injury prevention since 1992 and published reviews in 1993 and 1996 (see rec #s 1948 & 5162). This paper is the 2nd part to an update of this evidence (part 1 at rec # 5161). The following injury prevention research areas are considered: (1) Injuries in the home environment (2) Injuries in the leisure environment (3) Community based interventions (4) Mass media interventions and what interventions work? (that is, reduce injury or change behaviour).

The authors have collected evidence on evaluated intervention studies related to childhood injury prevention since 1992 and published reviews in 1993 and 1996 (see rec #s 1948 & 3026). This paper updates this evidence.Three questions are considered: (1) Have there been any changes in the evidence relating to the effectiveness of childhood injury prevention? (2) What additions have been made to the literature, relating to the target groups and implementation strategies of interventions? (3) What additions have been made to the literature, relating to the ways interventions have been evaluated?

OBJECTIVE: Describe age-based urban pedestrian versus auto crash characteristics and identify crash characteristics associated with injury severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Secondary analysis of the 2004-2010 National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration database for Illinois. All persons in Chicago crashes with age data who were listed as pedestrians (n=7175 child age =19 yo, n=16,398 adult age =20 yo) were included. Incidence and crash characteristics were analyzed by age groups and year. Main outcome measures were incidence, crash setting, and injury severity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate injury severity by crash characteristics. RESULTS: Overall incidence was higher for child (146.6 per 100,000) versus adult (117.3 per 100,000) pedestrians but case fatality rate was lower (0.7% for children, 1.7% for adults). Child but not adult pedestrian injury incidence declined over time (trend test p<0.0001 for <5 yo, 5-9 yo, and 10-14 yo; p<0.05 for 15-19 yo, p=0.96 for =20 yo). Most crashes for both children and adults took place during optimal driving conditions. Injuries were more frequent during warmer months for younger age groups compared to older ( (2)p<0.001). Midblock crashes increased as age decreased (p<0.0001 for trend). Most crashes occurred at sites with sub-optimal traffic controls but varied by age (p<0.0001 for trend). Crashes were more likely to be during daylight on dry roads in clear weather conditions for younger age groups compared to older ( (2)p<0.001). Daylight was associated with less severe injury (child OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.98; adult OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.93). CONCLUSION: The incidence of urban pedestrian crashes declined over time for child subgroups but not for adults. The setting of pedestrian crashes in Chicago today varies by age but is similar to that seen in other urban locales previously. Injuries for all age groups tend to be less severe during daylight conditions. Age-based prevention efforts may prove beneficial.

Series of brochures and pamphlets about cycling in various NZ locations.

Code is concerned with the design and integration of urban development within the Strategic Growth Management Areas within the Isthmus.

Fires are a leading cause of death, but non-fatal injuries from residential fires have not been well characterised. Over the space of a year, residential fire injuries, in a deprived urban area, that resulted in an emergency department visit, hospitalisation or death, were identified by way of a number of different surveillance means. The majority of fire deaths and injuries are due to smoke inhalation. Other injury rates are given as well as some and figures around the source of the fires. In conclusion, because of the varied causes of fire and flame injuries, it is likely that diverse interventions, targeted to those at the highest risk, that is, the elderly, young children and the poor, may be required to address this important public health problem.

These guidelines are for Road Controlling Authorities and traffic engineering practitioners who are responsible for minimising the severity of roadside barrier crashes in the urban speed environment. The philosophy is that all alternative engineering measures should be considered before installing a roadside barrier because in many situations the barrier itself will constitute a hazard. This guideline sets out to document some of the pifalls of roadside barriers.

Two sets of six "road tiles" which illustrate signs and rules and references to the relevant sections of the road code.

Defines "speeding" and describes the impact on adults and children hit by a speeding vehicle. Background information factsheet on urban speed, which includes the severity of injuries and social cost of road crashes.

The United States once had the safest transportation system in the developed world, but the U.S. traffic safety record has fallen behind that of other developed countries. Only with an understanding of the basic causes of traffic crashes can policies be devised to reduce crash numbers. Metropolitan sprawl has been implicated as one cause of traffic crashes because sprawl generates long automobile trips with associated high crash exposure. A decade ago, compactness-sprawl indexes were developed for metropolitan areas and counties. These indexes have been widely used in health and other research, including a 2003 study of traffic fatalities. In the current study, the original county index was first updated to 2010; then, a refined index that accounts for more relevant factors was developed. Finally, the 2003 results were replicated and expanded. Principal component analysis was used to extract county compactness-sprawl indexes from variables related to development density, mix of land use, population and employment centering, and street accessibility. These indexes were validated against county commuting data and related to county traffic fatality rates through multilevel modeling. When covariates were controlled for, sprawl was found to be associated with significantly higher traffic fatality rates and significantly higher pedestrian fatality rates when adjusted for exposure. The most likely explanations are the greater number of vehicle miles driven and the higher traffic speeds in sprawling environments. Recognition of this relationship is important because it adds traffic safety to other health risks associated with urban sprawl in the literature.

he objective of this study was to determine the association between urban sprawl and traffic fatalities. The authors created a sprawl index by applying principal components analysis to data for 448 US counties in the largest 101 metropolitan areas. Regression analysis was used to determine associations between the index and traffic fatalities. Results showed that for every 1% increase in the index (i.e., more compact, less sprawl), all-mode traffic fatality rates fell by 1.49% and pedestrian fatality rates fell by 1.47% to 3.56%, after adjustment for pedestrian exposure. In conclusion, urban sprawl was directly related to traffic fatalities and pedestrian fatalities. Subsequent studies should investigate relationships at a finer geographic scale and should strive to improve on the measure of exposure used to adjust pedestrian fatality rates.

This article compares modal-split - how people get from place to place - for 12 countries in Western Europe and North America. Differences in travel behaviour arise largely from public policy differences, especially from differences in automobile taxation. In addition, variations in transit subsidies, land use controls, and housing programs significantly influence travel choices, although sometimes only indirectly. The success of public transportation depends more on supportive urban development and automobile taxation policies than on trasit subsidies. The absence of such complementary policies in the U.S. - unlike the other countries studied - explains the ineffectiveness of the attempt to reveive American public transportation exclusively through large subsidies.

Motor vehcile crashes are the leading cause of death for Alabama Children. This fact persists despite a child restraint law and an amendment designed to prevent such deaths in preschoolers. This study compared cumulative motor vehicle passenger death rates by county and by urban and rural residence. Rural children had twice the rate of death of urban children. Additionally, these death rates demonstrated a sharp negative gradient when residence areas were ordered by increasing population densities. Because child passenger death rates are significantly higher among rural children, future research should focus on hazards associated with the rural environment. A list of key study elements is provided.

The objective of this study was to examine bicycle-related injury rates for children living in urban and rural areas. Data on all Canadian children hospitalised because of bicycling-related injuries (1994–1998) were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Injured children were classified as residing in urban, mixed urban, mixed rural or rural areas. Incidence rates for bicycle-related head injuries and other bicycle-related injuries were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of head injury, controlling for age, sex, socio-economic status (SES), collision with a motor vehicle, and the presence of provincial helmet legislation. In total, 9367 children were hospitalised for a bicycling-related injury over the 4-year-study period. Of these, 21% occurred in rural areas, 18% in mixed rural, 17% in mixed urban, while the remaining 44% occurred in urban areas. The average annual incidence rate for bicycle-related head injuries in children was 18.49 per 100,000 for children living in rural areas compared with 10.93 per 100,000 for those living in urban areas, 15.49 for children in mixed urban areas and 17.38 for children living in mixed rural areas. This variation may be explained by differences in bicycling exposure, helmet use, hospital admission criteria, or road environments across geographic areas.

Statewide data from two sources were used to compare the pedestrian-vehicle collision injury and fatality rates for urban and rural areas of Washington State from 1981 through 1983. Although the rates of pedestrian injuries are higher in urban areas, the pedestrian fatality rate in rural areas is higher for nearly all age groups, and at all posted speeds.

This directory lists all staff of USCPSC alphabetically and by department

Importance The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 brought attention to adverse drug events in national patient safety efforts. Updated, detailed, nationally representative data describing adverse drug events can help focus these efforts. Objective To describe the characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits for adverse drug events in the United States in 2013-2014 and describe changes in ED visits for adverse drug events since 2005-2006. Design, Setting, and Participants Active, nationally representative, public health surveillance in 58 EDs located in the United States and participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project. Exposures Drugs implicated in ED visits. Main Outcomes and Measures National weighted estimates of ED visits and subsequent hospitalizations for adverse drug events. Results Based on data from 42 585 cases, an estimated 4.0 (95% CI, 3.1-5.0) ED visits for adverse drug events occurred per 1000 individuals annually in 2013 and 2014 and 27.3% (95% CI, 22.2%-32.4%) of ED visits for adverse drug events resulted in hospitalization. An estimated 34.5% (95% CI, 30.3%-38.8%) of ED visits for adverse drug events occurred among adults aged 65 years or older in 2013-2014 compared with an estimated 25.6% (95% CI, 21.1%-30.0%) in 2005-2006; older adults experienced the highest hospitalization rates (43.6%; 95% CI, 36.6%-50.5%). Anticoagulants, antibiotics, and diabetes agents were implicated in an estimated 46.9% (95% CI, 44.2%-49.7%) of ED visits for adverse drug events, which included clinically significant adverse events, such as hemorrhage (anticoagulants), moderate to severe allergic reactions (antibiotics), and hypoglycemia with moderate to severe neurological effects (diabetes agents). Since 2005-2006, the proportions of ED visits for adverse drug events from anticoagulants and diabetes agents have increased, whereas the proportion from antibiotics has decreased. Among children aged 5 years or younger, antibiotics were the most common drug class implicated (56.4%; 95% CI, 51.8%-61.0%). Among children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years, antibiotics also were the most common drug class implicated (31.8%; 95% CI, 28.7%-34.9%) in ED visits for adverse drug events, followed by antipsychotics (4.5%; 95% CI, 3.3%-5.6%). Among older adults (aged =65 years), 3 drug classes (anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics) were implicated in an estimated 59.9% (95% CI, 56.8%-62.9%) of ED visits for adverse drug events; 4 anticoagulants (warfarin, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and enoxaparin) and 5 diabetes agents (insulin and 4 oral agents) were among the 15 most common drugs implicated. Medications to always avoid in older adults according to Beers criteria were implicated in 1.8% (95% CI, 1.5%-2.1%) of ED visits for adverse drug events. Conclusions and Relevance The prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug events in the United States was estimated to be 4 per 1000 individuals in 2013 and 2014. The most common drug classes implicated were anticoagulants, antibiotics, diabetes agents, and opioid analgesics.

Pamphlet promoting safety on the water. Provides safety checklist

As a result of discussions with Safekids Director, Chuck Wilburn from US Product Safety Commission has sent this list of CRC manufacturers in the USA

American football coaches and game officials should improve the teaching of proper tackling techniques and enforce existing rules to reduce the incidence and severity of football injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said in a policy statement released this week. In the statement, released on 25 October at the academy’s national conference in Washington, DC, the academy said that eliminating tackling from football would likely lead to a reduction in numbers of injuries but would also lead to a fundamental change in the way the game was played. “Participants in football must decide whether the potential health risks of sustaining these injuries are outweighed by the recreational benefits associated with proper tackling,” the academy said.

A study was conducted to assess usability issues relating to child restraint system (CRS) harness design. Four convertible child restraint systems representing a wide variety of design features were used. Forty-two participants installed two child test dummies in both forward and rear-facing configurations either inside or outside a test vehicle. Observer-scored checklists determined the degree to which harnesses were installed correctly. Participant-scored questionnaires evaluated the ‘ease-of-use’ of various design features. While the percentage of correct installations exceeded 83% for all designs when installed in the forward-facing configuration, in the rear-facing position (that intended for children under 9–10 kg), there was a significant (between 65 and 89%) percentage of incorrect installations for all models. This finding is of particular interest and may be indicative of a more generalized problem with ‘convertible’ CRS designs when they are used in the rear-facing configuration. Furthermore, while certain design features were perceived by users as providing significantly better protection in the event of a collision, these also tended to be the features that were misused most often. The benefits and costs of various design features are discussed, and a method to test harness design usability is presented.

John Latter is the Managing Director of a company that makes Loose impact absorbing surface (LIAS) materials such as wood chips for use under playground equipment. In this paper which he presented at the Melbourne Conference he discusses the pros and cons of his product and other surfaces. This kit contains a letter, a copy of his paper, a leaflet from ROSPA on the use and maintenance of LIAS, and some promotional material about Melcourt Industries.

These 9 x 9.5 cm burns prevention stickers from Safe Waitakere Injury Prevention (SWIP) carry the message 'Use back elements first, turn pot handles in'. They are a burns prevention sticker which also features a cartoon image of pots boiling on the back elements of a stove top with their handles turned in. These stickers were available to the participants at the Safekids Campaign 2010 Workshops.

A community program was implemented at one mall and two shopping centers in Charlotte, North Carolina, to increase patron seat belt use in the context of an ongoing statewide seat belt law enforcement program, “Click It or Ticket.” The program consisted of feedback signs at mall and shopping center exits displaying patron seat belt use rates, posters providing information about the benefits (number of lives and amount of money saved) of the “Click It or Ticket” program and urging patrons to use their seat belts and check seat belt use rate information posted at mall exits, as well as flyers providing similar information as the posters. Following a baseline period, the program was implemented at Carolina Place Mall, whereas the other two retail centers remained in the baseline condition. The program then was introduced at Matthews Festival Center, followed by Town Center Plaza. Seat belt use among drivers increased significantly from a range of 73–74% to 83–85% at all three sites following introduction of the program. Belt use among right front passengers also increased, but this change was statistically significant at only one of the three sites. Resumption of the statewide “Click It or Ticket” enforcement program was not associated with further increases in seat belt use.

Once children have outgrown car seats, booster seats protect from injury better than lap and shoulder belts alone. However, the majority of children aged 4 to 8 years use only an adult seat belt. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted community booster seat campaign in increasing observed booster seat use among child passengers in motor vehicles. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, controlled community intervention trial. The campaign was initiated in 4 communities in the greater Seattle, Washington, area between January 2000 and March 2001. Eight communities in Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington, served as control sites. The authors observed 3609 booster-eligible children (those aged 4-8 years and weighing 18-36 kg [40-80 lb]). The main outcome measure was observed booster seat use 15 months after the start of the campaign. Results show that before the campaign began, 13.3% of eligible children in the intervention communities and 17.3% in the control communities were using booster seats, adjusting for child age, driver seat belt use, and sex of driver. Fifteen months after the start of the campaign, adjusted booster seat use had increased to 26.1% in the intervention communities and 20.2% in the control communities. In conclusion, these data suggest that a multifaceted community education campaign can significantly increase the use of child booster seats.

Abstract outlines the importance of good coronial practice.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that local public health agencies use local data to identify children at risk for lead exposure to ensure that they receive preventive services. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of a geographic information system (GIS) in identifying children at risk for lead exposure. We conducted a descriptive study, using GIS technology, of the blood lead (BPb) levels and residential location of at-risk children screened for lead exposure. “At-risk children” were defined as those children living in housing built before 1950 or in an area with a high proportion of older housing. The study was conducted in Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA. Participants were the cohort of children born in 1995 and screened from 1996 through 1997, and children younger than age 7 years who were screened from 1994 through 1998. Outcome measures were the BPb level and residential location (address or target zone) of at-risk children screened from 1996 through 1997, and the number and location of homes where more than one child had been poisoned by lead from 1994 through 1998. The proportion of children screened who live within zones targeted for universal screening varied from 48% to 53%, while only 50% of the at-risk children in the entire county were screened. Between 1994 and 1998, 79 homes housed 35% of the 524 children with lead poisoning. These housing units were prioritized for lead-hazard remediation. Significant numbers of at-risk children throughout the county were not being tested for lead exposure, even in prioritized areas. GIS can be very useful to health departments in planning lead exposure screening strategies and measuring program performance.

The objective of this research was to investigate the utility of narrative analysis of text information for describing the mechanism of injury and to compare the patterns of the mechanism of injury for work related fatalities in three countries. Three national collections of data on work related fatalities were used in this study including those for New Zealand, 1985–94 (n=723), for Australia, 1989–92 (n=1220), and for the United States, 1989–92 (n=16 383). The New Zealand and Australian collections used the type of occurrence standard code for the mechanism of injury, however the United States collection did not. All three databases included a text description of the circumstances of the fatality so a text based analysis was developed to enable a comparison of the mechanisms of injury in each of the three countries. A test set of 200 cases from each country dataset was used to develop the narrative analysis and to allow comparison of the narrative and standard approaches to mechanism coding. Results showed that the narrative coding was more useful for some types of injury than others. Differences in coding the narrative codes compared with the standard code were mainly due to lack of sensitivity in detecting cases for all three datasets, although specificity was always high. The pattern of causes was very similar between the two coding methods and between the countries. Hit by moving objects, falls, and rollovers were among the five most common mechanisms of workplace fatalities for all countries. More common mechanisms that distinguished the three countries were electrocutions for Australia, drowning for New Zealand, and gunshot for the United States. In conclusion, narrative analysis shows some promise as an alternative approach for investigating the causes of fatalities.

The aim of this study was to determine the extent of protective equipment use (helmets, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads) in a representatative sample of in-line skaters. Skaters were observed at four types of sites (commuter, recreational, neighbourhood, general community). Results showed that the observed use of protective equipment was relatively low: wrist guards 25%, helmets 13%, elbow pads 14%, and knee pads 10%. Despite the availability of relatively inexpensive protective equipment, few in-line skaters take advantage of the opportunity to protect themselves from injury. Policies and programmes that serve to increase the use of protective equipment by in-line skaters are needed to help reduce the frequency of skating related injuries.

The use of seat belts in cars with different seat belt reminder systems was analyzed in a population of 477 injured car drivers, transported by ambulance to Umeå University Hospital after car crashes. The ambulance personnel acted as independent observers regarding the use of seat belts. In this population the non-users were significantly (multivariate logistic regression) fewer (12%) in cars with a combined light and sound reminder, compared to cars without reminder (23%). In cars with only a light signal the proportion of non-users was the same as in cars without any reminder at all. An introduction of more effective reminders, at least in new cars, might be an effective way to increase seat belt usage rates in the long term.

To evaluate the usefulness of newspapers as a surveillance tool for submersion injury, the proportion of submersion events and important details reported in Washington State newspapers was determined. It was also determined whether a letter sent to newspaper editors to encourage reporting changed the proportion and content of reported submersion events. Newspaper articles regarding submersion were collected from 225 Washington newspapers from 1993 - 1998. These articles were linked to computerised state death and hospital records. In conclusion, results showed that newspapers failed to report about one half of fatal submersions and three quarters of submersions that resulted in hospitalisation. An effort to improve reporting was associated with an increase in the proportion of pediatric drownings that were reported, but a consistent improvement in content was found. The usefulness of newspaper articles as a surveillance tool may be limited.

Pamphlet illustrates types of safety glass for use in the home.