Safety and Injury Prevention
This domain tests how to identify hazards, assess risk and prevent injuries at home, on the road, at school, in sport and around water, fire and electricity.
Core rules
- Risk assessment: identify the hazard, decide who may be harmed and how, evaluate the risk, then remove or control it. Prefer elimination and engineering controls before relying only on education or protective equipment.
- Road safety: use footpaths, cross at marked crossings, wear a helmet on bicycles and motorcycles, and use seat belts. Never run onto the road from between parked vehicles.
- Sports safety: warm up, follow rules, use correct protective gear, match equipment to age and size, ensure safe surfaces, hydrate, and cool down.
- Water and fire safety: never swim alone; supervise children near water; do not overload electrical sockets; keep flammable items away from cooking areas.
- School safety: keep walkways clear, store chemicals securely, and report broken equipment.
Worked example
A football player wants to reduce ankle injury risk. Reasoning: the hazard is a twist or impact during play. Controls include a progressive warm-up, correctly fitted shin guards and boots, taping if advised, obeying rules against dangerous tackles, and playing on a level surface. A long static stretch held immediately before sprinting is not the best warm-up because it can reduce explosive power; dynamic movements are more suitable.
Traps that cost marks
- Warm-up prepares the body; cool-down aids recovery. Do not reverse them.
- Protective equipment does not replace safe behaviour or rule enforcement.
- A helmet must fit and be fastened; wearing it loosely gives little protection.
- Do not treat a suspected fracture as a sprain by asking the casualty to walk on it.