Nova Scotia's Renewed Injury Prevention Strategy - Government of ...

Taking It to the Next Level Nova Scotia’s Renewed Injury Prevention Strategy38EnforcementEnforcement refers to the creation and enforcementof laws, regulations, procedures, and policiesdesigned to reduce injuries. The notion ofenforcement occurs at many levels: government,institutions, organizations, and even families.Enforcement seeks to effect changes in behaviourand shift the norms and culture of society towardgreater prevention of injury. Enforcement as a toolfor injury prevention is embedded with the ideas ofcreating supportive environments, reorientingservices, and developing healthy public policies.Examples of enforcementGovernment—Occupational health and safetylaws and enforcement measuresInstitutions—Rules that prohibit throwingsnowballs at schoolOrganizations—Procedures for handling adangerous product in the workplaceFamilies—Rules for teenagers about using thefamily carEngineeringEngineering seeks to alter the social and physicalenvironments as well as the characteristics ofproducts (e.g., vehicles, safety equipment) todecrease the risk of injury. The concept ofengineering is reflected in health promotion throughhealthy public policies, creating supportiveenvironments, and reorienting services.Achieving healthy communities requires us toemploy a range of strategies that draw oneducation, enforcement, and engineering. Theseintegrated approaches remind us to focus attentionon these factors within the economic, social, andphysical environments of individuals, families, andcommunities. The three E’s do not stand alone. Theyare part of a comprehensive framework forpromoting health and therefore preventing injuries.Balancing RiskMost injury prevention advocates would agree thatwe cannot—and should not—protect NovaScotians from all the dangers they are exposed to ineveryday living. This would be neither practical norwise. Instead, this strategy recognizes that risk is apart of everyday life. Taking healthy risks helps tobuild positive decision-making skills and strengthensself-esteem through a sense of accomplishmentwhen a risk is overcome.Allowing people, particularly youth, to engage inpositive risk-taking helps develop resilient adultswith the skills to cope with challenging situations.Through this strategy we must promote positive risktakingand work with partners to provide positivesubstitutes for negative risks such as harmful use ofdrugs, binge drinking, or dangerous thrill-seeking.Helping Nova Scotians recognize where risks forinjuries occur and providing them with good policiesand supportive environments that mitigate theserisks will prevent injury.We need to create supportive environments andpolicies that keep people safe but still encouragethem to engage in positive risk-taking. Providing themeans (e.g., safety equipment or training) and safesettings (e.g., roads, skate parks, playgrounds) forpeople to participate in positive risk is encouragedthrough this strategy.Finding the right balanceToo much risk and we endanger a child. Toolittle risk and we fail to provide a child withhealthy opportunities for growth andpsychological development. 41