As the weather warms up and outdoor activities grow in popularity, the importance of ensuring safety during recreation and leisure is essential. Whether it’s hiking, camping, boating, or playing sports, enjoying the great outdoors should be done with safety and preparedness.
The built environment and injury
The built environment is a key cross-cutting factor influencing the incidence of injury in Western Australia. In recent years, more attention has been drawn to the built environment and its relationship with injury.
The built environment refers to human-made space in which people live, work, and participate in recreation. It also includes any natural environments that are modified for human use, such as parks and water sources.
A well-built environment can help to reduce the risk of injury by making it easier to engage in protective behaviours and reduce physical hazards.
Why Focus on Outdoor Safety?
Engaging in outdoor activities offers numerous health and social benefits, but it also comes with risks. In Australia, outdoor-related injuries contribute significantly to hospitalisations, with factors such as uneven terrains, weather conditions, and participating in activities that pose potential hazards. Injuries can be prevented with the right tools and knowledge.
What’s in the Toolkit?
The Know Injury Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Toolkit addresses these challenges by equipping individuals, organisations, and communities with evidence-based strategies and resources to enhance safety in outdoor settings. It includes state and national injury data on outdoor recreation and leisure sports, suggestions on actions your local government can take, as well as social media tiles, media templates and resources for a range of activities.
It includes injury prevention messages such as hazards, behaviour change messages and actions on:
- Coastlines and waterways
- Parks and nature reserves
- Urban pathways
Who Can Benefit?
The Toolkit is designed for:
- Local Governments managing recreational spaces.
- Community Organisations promoting health and wellness through outdoor activities.
- Sports and Recreation Groups seeking to implement or enhance safety measures for members.
Did You Know?
You can visit WA’s Department of Parks and Wildlife for information on trail conditions, fire bans, and weather warnings. Check their website before heading out on our next adventure to be confident, responsible and safe!