Military Officer - October 2008 - (Page 50) askthedoctor Avoiding Accidents Most accidents happen in or around the home and during familiar activities. Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, D.O., identifies common risk factors that can jeopardize your safety. S Familiarity Breeds Carelessness I Mishaps are most likely to occur during routine tasks, such as driving within a few miles of home, cooking an oftprepared recipe, or simply getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. afety professionals prefer the word “mishaps” to describe dangerous incidents. The word “accident” suggests a certain randomness. A careful review of the events leading to an accident or mishap often reveals it wasn’t really a random incident, but the result of one or more common factors. What are some of these risk factors? Rushing. People in a hurry don’t take as much time to process what is happening around them. They also take chances they otherwise would not take. For example, a driver who is pressed for time might chance a risky right turn on red, instead of waiting for the light to change to green. Distraction. Many seemingly simple activities of daily life actually require a lot of concentration and step-by-step planning. Much of this is unconscious, so we aren’t even aware of it. However, we need all of our mental resources to complete these tasks — and they aren’t there when we are preoccupied with something else. Emotions. When people are angry or agitated, they sometimes do things they otherwise would not. Being very happy or very sad also can affect judgment. Confusion. Prescription drugs, alcohol, illness, and other things can make us a little (or sometimes a lot) out of it. Chronic illness such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias limit our thinking capabilities for the long term. Even normal aging decreases our mental acuity. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of how mentally capable they are at any particular time. Pay attention if someone suggests you postpone or stop an activity due to your mental alertness. Others often have a better perspective on this than we do. Fatigue. It is well established that many industrial accidents occur at the end of the day, when people are physically tired. It’s much easier to stumble and fall, drop a heavy tool, or get in the way of a sharp instrument. Being tired also increases the rates of mishaps at home. Many elderly people fall when they are tired. Change. Changes to our physical environment can increase the risk of mishaps. A friend’s polished marble bathroom floor might be more slippery than the carpeted bathroom back home. A change in the weather — rain, ice, snow — can make a daily walk with the dog a lot more dangerous. A seemingly simple change in procedure, such as a quick call on the cell phone while driving the kids to school, also can increase the risk of a mishap. If you look back at a recent mishap in your family, can you identify some of these risk factors? Often a careful analysis will show several factors contributed to the event. Recognizing these factors, and trying to increase our situational awareness — whether it be emotional, mental, or physical — is essential to prevent mishaps. MO — Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS-Ret., D.O., M.A., is vice president, Health Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, Arlington, Va. Find more health and wellness resources at www .moaa.org/wellness. For submission information, see page 18. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 50 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2008 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/wellness
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.