Top 10 Posts of 2018

The Safety First blog aims to cover topics that touch people’s lives at work, at home and on the road. It’s a place to share not just best practices and resources to keep people safer, but also stories from our network that inform, inspire and make an impact. Over the year we addressed emerging trends, discussed topics that dominated the headlines, and shared some wonderful personal stories that illuminate the impact of safety.

As we get ready to ring in the New Year, we’d like to share our most popular posts of 2018. Let the countdown begin.

Top 10 Most Read Blogs in 2018

10. Staying Safe with Fall Prevention Awareness Day

Falls are a major cause of unintentional death and injury. This post from our friends at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control shows how U.S. healthcare providers are able to prevent thousands of falls for older Americans. If you thought falls are a natural part of aging, think again.

9. Let’s Make the Reason for Workers’ Memorial Day a Thing of the Past

With workplace fatalities reaching a new high, NSC President and CEO Deborah Hersman warns us not to get complacent about the everyday risks we still face on the job. Fourteen families a day say goodbye to their loved ones as they head out to work, not realizing it will be the last moment they share with them.

8. National Safety Month: A Time to Focus on Safety at Work, at Home and in the Communities in Between

NSC Chairman Mark Vergnano has a safety obsession. For National Safety Month, he shares his Safety 360-degree mindset and looks at safety practices both on and off the job.

7. Distracted Driving Reality: You Can Be Part of the Solution

Lisa Robinson, senior program manager of the Our Driving Concern employer program, debunks some myths about hands-free driving safety and calls for drivers to take the attentive driver pledge. The ask is simple: Be mindful, be present, just drive.

6. Splashing Into Summer – Pool Safety Tips

Drowning is a leading killer of very young children and a leading preventable hazard for all ages. Becky Turpin is director of home and community safety at NSC, and she takes pool safety seriously. She reminds us it’s never too late to learn to swim or use the buddy system to stay safe in the water

5. Safety is the Right Way to Do Things

Debbie Hersman reflects on what inspires her and what she is grateful for as she prepares to bid farewell to NSC – but not to her life-long mission to keep people safe.

4. Do Teens Admit to Texting and Driving

Our program manager for DriveItHome, Morgan Cihak, shares some emerging trends from a CDC study of 100,000 teen drivers from 35 states. We already knew teens are more likely to engage in risk-taking, but the data shows a few surprises.

3. Viral Video Trends Gone Wrong

In today’s social media world, copycat videos proliferate faster than you can say Instagram. Yet a subset encourages not just dangerous but possibly life-threatening behavior, and these kinds of social challenges are on the rise. Tatyana Warrick takes on this disturbing trend.

2. Gun Data and the Importance of Getting the Facts Straight

Putting data into context can help the public grapple with traumatic active shooter events, but how do we know what information to trust about the prevalence of such episodes? Ken Kolosh, manager of the NSC statistics department, calls for sharing accurate data and warns against alternative facts.

1. The Day My Husband Didn’t Come Home from Work

Jody LaVoie, an NSC survivor advocate, shares how workplace violence changed her family forever. Alongside a gripping personal story, Jody shares specific steps organizations can take to protect their employees against workplace violence.

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Thank you for reading and helping us keep each other safe. We look forward to sharing more stories with you in 2019!