Safety And Injury Prevention After SHTF
Not only is general safety and injury prevention a priority consideration during present time, but will be infinitely more important during a post-collapse era where medical attention, facilities, and quality care may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
During such a time, people will be adapting to a more labor intensive lifestyle, and one thing that goes along with that way of life is the risk of physical injury.
The time to prepare for it is now. Here’s how…
Safety Protocols
Injury prevention is the key to one’s physical safety. It may sound like a simple concept, but in practice it is often overlooked.
Why? Because we are often only focused on the job at hand. To get it done. To implement safety protocols takes a bit more planning, time, and even manpower (or womanpower ;) ), however these protocols may prove enormously valuable having prevented injury (or worse).
A protocol is a sort of agreement, custom, or obligation. ‘Safety’ protocols are previously thought out procedures, processes, or prevention’s, which are designed to better ensure one’s safety. Obviously these will vary with what you’re planning to accomplish versus the risks at hand, but common sense (hopefully) should reveal the potential dangers and corresponding preventative measures…
Not everyone has common sense though, and there’s little doubt that during a time of SHTF that many will injure themselves while not having taken preventative measures and precautions.
Perhaps the most generally effective safety protocol is to involve two people rather than one. Often simply having two people involved in a task is enough to prevent accidents because there’s ‘another set of eyes’ on the task. Since there is always more than one way to do something, the opinion of another will help to expose risks and alternatives – which may be safer and/or better… If injury does happen, the other person will be there to assist or get help.
Every process of a given task has its risks. Some risks of some tasks are minuscule while others may be potentially deadly. Today’s subconscious presumption is that quality medical care is always nearby. Tomorrow’s SHTF may shatter that notion and force you to carefully consider what you’re doing before you hurt yourself. Even a seemingly ordinary cut can kill you without modern medicine if it infects beyond the ‘point of no return’.
General recommendation: ‘Think’ (about safety) before you act.
Safety Gear and Equipment
Just as various tasks require specific tools, there are also ‘tools’ for one’s safety. Safety gear.
Work Gloves
Again, following ‘SHTF’, there will be much more physical labor. Working with one’s hands. Work Gloves (lots of them) will be an enormous asset and essential equipment for injury prevention. I cannot overemphasize this.
A word of advice… do not bother with ‘cheap’ work gloves. While they might last a short while doing very lightweight ‘soft’ tasks, they are essentially useless for ‘real’ protection.
Note: How To Find Your Glove Size
Work Boots
Another important bit of safety gear are quality work boots. I suspect that many people today do not have a good pair of work boots. Instead they rely on ‘sneakers’ as their casual wear – which provide little to no ‘real’ protection.
Good work boots should come up over your ankle and should be of a good fit. Proper fitting boots is a very important thing!
Given that there are so many tasks to consider while thinking of safety protocols and safety gear, I believe I’ve exemplified the notion…
Let’s hear your ideas for safety considerations following SHTF, and the things we can do to help prevent injury…
Safety gear-equipment ideas and tips coming in from comments:
Safety glasses (with sides)
Work clothes (heavy duty)
The ‘right’ tools for the job at hand
Antibiotic creams
If it hurts, stop doing it…
Communications (2-way radio)
Tick check after being in ‘the woods’
Be careful when assisting those who are bleeding (infectious)
Stretching exercises before labor
Firearms safety
Avoid mental fatigue