‘State of Safety’ Not Good in Ohio, Pa.

ITASCA, Ill. — The state of Ohio and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania each received a grade of D from the National Safety Council in the organization’s first-of-its kind report on how well Americans are protected from risk of accidents.

The report, The State of Safety, finds that no state earned an A and only seven states — Maryland, Illinois, Maine, Oregon, Connecticut, California and Washington and Washington, D.C. — received a grade of B. Ten states flunked. Ohio and Pennsylvania are among the 15 states that got D grades.

The report wraps up National Safety Month, observed each June to draw attention to eliminating preventable deaths. Fatalities from poisonings – including drug overdoses – motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, choking and fires have increased 7% since 2014, claiming 146,571 lives each year

“The cultural novocaine has to wear off,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, in releasing the report. “Safety is no accident. We lose more than 140,000 people because of events we know how to prevent. This report provides states with a blueprint for saving lives, and we hope lawmakers, civic leaders, public health professionals and safety advocates use it to make their communities measurably safer.”

The report assessed safety efforts by examining laws, policies and regulations around issues that lead to the most preventable deaths and injuries. In addition to receiving an overall grade, states earned grades in three different sections: Road Safety, Home and Community Safety and Workplace Safety. States were given “On Track”, “Developing” and “Off Track” distinctions in all three sections’ safety issues.

A breakdown of all safety issues, state-by-state grades and a full methodology are available at nsc.org/stateofsafety.

SOURCE: National Safety Council

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