FORT LEE, Va. –
Summer has arrived, and with it the call of the open road, the beach, the great outdoors and from your spouse who needs you to clean out the gutters. The time between Memorial Day and Labor Day contain more outdoor activities than any other time of the year. Unfortunately, the highest number of after work injuries and deaths occur over the next three months.
The latest annual National Safety Center report stated over 130,000 people died from unintentional injury related deaths. With a large percentage occurring during the summer season, these statistics are a motivation behind Defense Contract Management Agency’s promoting the annual Critical Days of Summer safety campaign.
“It’s human nature to grow comfortable or complacent,” said Ray Corral, DCMA safety and occupational health manager. “We all need a quick set of reminders to get our mental processing started ahead of summertime events.”
This cerebral reboot includes reminders on how to safely execute a large number of activities that have been put on hold since last year. “We are basically working to wake-up those parts of our brains by creating mental images of activities we stepped away from months ago,” Corral said.
Safety in motorcycling, boating, swimming, hiking, biking, fireworks, cooking out and more are highlighted in this year’s Critical Days of Summer safety brief.
“Most accidents are preventable,” said Corral. “We are working to reach our workforce with the message that being prepared can reduce the risk and level of injuries that might be sustained.”
Simple tasks such as wearing a seat belt, obeying speed limits and performing preventative maintenance on equipment can greatly reduce the potential for injury, said Corral, acknowledging that everyone plays a part in safety.
“Absolutely everyone needs to do their part,” he said. “This is truly a team effort and everyone is a player. Our employees are our most valuable resource; we must safeguard each other as intensely as we do financial capital and property.”
Before hitting the road or getting the ladder ready to clean out the gutters, dust off your safety skills. Read through the Critical Days of Summer safety brief and check out the dozens of other safety topics available on the DCMA Safety page (login required).