013 Safety Moment - Injury denial can affect outcomes says Vernon Search and Rescue team lead

No Harm Health and Safety Podcast

In this episode of the No Harm Health and Safety Podcast, Marvin returns to Vernon, British Columbia to talk to Jeremy Vandekerkhove from the Vernon Search and Rescue Helicopter Winch Team. As you may recall from episode 11, this group provides services not only in recreational situations such as hunting, fishing and dirt biking ... they also provide important services to industrial locations like forestry, mining and the oil patch. When a standard ambulance can't get access to a remote accident scene, the Vernon Search and Rescue team flies into action. They can get critically ill or injured patients to hospital in as little as 15 - 20 minutes instead of the more typical 3 - 4 hours. Obviously, this can have a dramatic impact on patient outcomes. But there's a human factor that can have a big impact on these outcomes: injury denial. Jeremy explains how some people can become seriously injured, and perhaps with misplaced optimism, hope things aren't so bad and the pain will just go away. By the time emergency services are contacted, the rescue mission can be complicated by bad weather, lack of daylight or other factors. We hope you will consider using this episode as inspiration for a safety moment within your organization, where you may want to talk about injury denial at one of your toolbox talks or staff meetings. You can paraphrase what you learn here, or simply play this episode during your meeting. No Harm is the health and safety podcast for HSE professionals. We explore issues and initiatives to help you sharpen your professional skills and better understand emerging issues. The No Harm Podcast is hosted by Marvin Polis of Stimulant Strategies and Productions, a veteran producer of HSE video productions and publications for municipalities and corporations. Marvin talks to guests who share your passion for safety at work and beyond. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud or the podcast app on your mobile device. Just search for: No Harm Podcast. You can connect with Marvin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-polis-b6392544 and learn more about Stimulant at www.stimulant.ca . Please leave comments and suggestions for future episodes. We love your feedback! All the best, everyone. And stay safe.