SCHOOL DAYS - SAFETY DAYS

As Labor Day marks the end of the 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign and the start of a new fall season, service members, civilians, and their families must remind themselves to continue to have safety in mind and avoid complacency.

Looking back over this past summer at Naval District Washington (NDW), Barbara Van Den Berg, Safety Region Program Director for NDW, says the region and its installations had no known reported mishaps. Although several tenant commands reported some accidents, the region remained relatively safe.

“Injuries among our civilians, service members and their families negatively affect the mission readiness,” said Van Den Berg. “If we’re injured, we can’t fully perform our jobs. If our family members are injured, we focus on them and their needs. As we close the summer, I think it’s important for everyone not to become complacent in our recreational activities outside of work. Water sports such as swimming and boating are prevalent in the NDW area. Don’t mix alcohol with water sports, don’t swim beyond your abilities, and always wear your life jacket in a boat.”

With fall slowly approaching and children making their way back to school, it is crucial now more than ever for staff to remain observant about new possibilities of accidents that might occur. Whether you have kids of your own or you’re just someone who lives in a family neighborhood, everyone should be aware of their surroundings.

“As kids head back to school, drivers need to be especially vigilant for pedestrians,” Van Den Burg added. “Kids might come out from behind cars or bushes or cross the street in unsafe areas.”

Families should also teach their children to practice safe pedestrian habits such as staying alert when waiting for a bus or looking left and right before crossing a street. Another possible hazard, especially for teenagers, is distractions like cell phones and headphones if they're not used responsibly. Reinforcing these messages to your children can significantly help your kids in being safe when traveling back and forth from school.

Van Deg Burg also encourages staff and their families to utilize widely available resources.

“Our safety program focuses on employees, so we don’t track children’s mishaps/injuries,” said Van Deg Burg. “Although we don't track them, there are several resources one can use to track information for children's safety, such as the Safe Kids Coalition in the United States website. In addition, there are also other good resources to look into for off-duty safety such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for road safety and National Safety Council for general workplace safety.”


Safety Resources

Safe Kids Coalitions in the U.S. track safely information for kids:
https://www.safekids.org/safe-kids-coalitions-united-states

For driving and pedestrian safety:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/

For general water safety: https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/seasonal-safety/drowning

For boating safety:
https://www.uscgboating.org/

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