Environmental Health
Environmental Health
Environmental Health
I. OVERVIEW
At any moment, you or someone around you could experience an injury or illness. Using basic first aid,
you may be able to stop a minor mishap from getting worse. In the case of a serious medical emergency,
you may even save a life. Now, let us tackle one by one our topic for today which is common injuries
encountered by officiating officials and athletes. To begin, let us find out the definitions of injury and first
aid.
In this module, you will learn more about the benefits of outdoor recreational activities when you take
the following lesson/s:
Lesson 1: Environmental Hazards
Outdoor recreational activities have so much to offer to people. These includes fun and pleasure,
general wellness of an individual, and sometimes environmental hazard.
According to the School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Manual Booklet 1 of DepEd,
“hazard is a dangerous phenomenon, condition, substance, or human activity that may cause loss of
life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social and economic disruption, loss of
livelihoods and services, or environmental damage”.
Mishaps are avoidable. The most effective way to prevent them is to adequately prepare for the trip
that includes knowing the environmental hazard you may encounter during the outdoor recreational
activity.
Robert Ernst (2003) emphasizes that, “most of us know that when we are outdoors, exposure to the
mix of heat, humidity, and sun can lead to serious heatrelated illnesses. But a number of other
problems can occur from sunburns to insect bites and stings.” With these, he enumerates guidelines
when assessing environmental hazard, you need to look at the following factors:
1. Location and terrain: The terrain is defined as the specific physical features of an area of land.
The location and the terrain contribute to the hazardous conditions when staying and walking into
the site. Below are some environmental hazards that depend upon your location and terrain:
Uneven surfaces, wet grass, and mud
Holes in the ground can cause trips or
falls.
Rocky trails
Exposed ledges
Darkness
Poison ivy
stings bites
2. Season/Climate
Keep an eye on the current and predicted weather conditions. Know the signs for
approaching storms or changing weather conditions. Some areas are susceptible to certain types of
severe weather. Weather hazards include:
Lightning and thunderstorms,
Flooding and flash flooding,
Strong winds and tornadoes,
Freezing rain and hail, and
Being Overexpose to sun.
3. Equipment and Transportation
Keep your equipment in good condition. Inspect them before your trip. Do not wait until
you are at the trail-head. Beyond the activity, the equipment and driving/ transportation are also
considered environmental hazards.
Equipment:
Broken stove
Boots not broken in
Improper clothing
Inoperative equipment
Driving/Transportation:
Bad road conditions
Darkness
Unfamiliar road
Difficult road (Class I-VI)
Other erratic drivers
Pedestrians/cyclists
Ten essential equipment for Mountaineering
According to mountaineers.org, “it is a great idea to work on a checklist that is tailored to the nature
of the outing when planning for your next mountaineering trip”. Here are ten essential pieces of equipment
that mountaineers should prepare and bring when climbing a mountain:
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1. Navigation – Today’s mountaineer carries five essential tools while navigating to their
destination: map, altimeter, compass, GPS device, and personal locator beacon (“PLB”) or
other devices to contact emergency first responders.
2. Headlamp – In the outdoors, headlamps are the flashlight of choice, freeing hands for anything
from cooking to climbing. If the party plans to return before dark, each member should carry a
headlamp.
3. Sun-protection – This includes carrying and wearing sunglasses, sunprotective clothes, and
broad-spectrum sunscreen rated at least SPF 30.
4. First Aid – Carrying and knowing how to use a first-aid kit should not give you a false sense of
security. Avoid injuries or sickness is the best course of action to take in the first place.
5. Knife – These are useful for first-aid, food preparation, repairs, and climbing, therefore,
everyone in the group should carry one.
6. Fire – Most climbers carry a disposable butane lighter or two instead of matches. Either must
be reliable.
7. Shelter – Carrying some sort of emergency shelter from rain and wind, such as a plastic tube
tent or a jumbo plastic trash bag.
8. Extra Food – The food should require no cooking, be easily digestible, and store well for long
periods.
9. Extra water – Always carry at least one water bottle or hydration bag.
10. Extra clothes – It refers to additional layers that would be needed to survive long, inactive
hours of an unplanned camp.
Commonly used life-saving equipment in Aquatic Activities
According to www.shmgroup.com, “many disastrous accidents have been averted due to the timely
use of life-saving equipment by the sports enthusiasts as well as the accompanying experts”. The
following are the commonly used life-saving equipment in water sports and should always be checked for
availability.
1. Lifejackets - These can be of help to the person wearing it from drowning. Thus, it is important
to always wear a life jacket throughout the water activity.
2. Safety helmets – They are used mostly for water sports involving a higher risk factor, like
water skiing and kayaking activities, but it is important to use them whenever required.
3. Safety harnesses – They should be tied tightly enough to allow free movement in the boat or on
deck, but not so loose that the person may fall overboard, leading to a lot of injuries.
4. Lifebuoys – These are ring-like flotation devices that prevent people from drowning.
5. First aid kits - It is the first requirement for medical assistance in case of an emergency and
hence is a must-have safety measure on every boat.
6. Maps - It is important to navigate rightly and follow the basic safety rules while taking any
vessel out in the water, be it for rafting or boating.
7. Distress signals – These include light-emitting beacons and flares that are important to gain the
attention of passers-by for help during an emergency.
8. Radios – It will enable the person in need to get in touch with the control center and get
assistance in case of an emergency.
9. Weather Gauge - Carrying a weather gauge at all times helps one stay updated about the
climate and any potential weather change.
10. Personal locator - The beacon is an electronic transmitter that sends out a signal alerting the
rescuers of the location. People regularly use this device for crew saving in lifeboats and
shipping.
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Keep barns and sheds free of mice and rats, as they will attract snakes
Keep grass well cut
First aid
Stay calm and call for help.
Note: Do not wash the bite site. Traces of venom that are left on the skin can be tested to
identify the snake group, and therefore the type of antivenom that may be indicated.
Venom is injected deeply so there is no benefit in cutting or sucking the bite. A tourniquet is not an
effective way to restrict venom movement.
The most effective first aid for snakebite is the pressure bandage with immobilisation (PBI)
technique. The principle is to minimise the movement of the venom around the body until the
victim is in a hospital by applying a firm bandage (or suitable alternative) to the bitten area and
limb, and to immobilise the victim. When applied properly, this method can trap the venom in the
bitten area for many hours. The victim might not suffer any effects of the venom until the pressure
bandage is released, which is done in hospital where antivenom can be administered if required.
After the pressure bandage and splint are in place:
Bring transport to the victim
Keep the victim still
Leave bandages in place until the victim has reached a medical facility.
ACTIVITY 1
Directions: Identify the commonly used life-saving equipment for water activities
1. _ 2. _ _ 3. _ 4. _ 5. _
.ACTIVITY 2
Directions: On a clean sheet of short bond paper, create a logo about “ENVIRONMENTAL
SAFTEY HAZARDS.”
Criteria Points
Theme 10
Impact 5
Creativity 5
Total 30
IV. ASSESSMENT
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on the space provided before the number.
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a. Eastern Brown Snake b. Tiger Snake c. Rattle Snake d. Copperhead Snake
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9. Which of the following is NOT a preventive measure from a snakebite?
a. Never put hands in hollow logs or thick grass without prior inspection
b. When stepping over logs, carefully inspect the ground on the other side
c. Keep barns and sheds free of dogs and cats
d. Keep grass well cut
10. If someone happens to eat poison ivy, what should you do?
a. Seek medical attention immediately
b. Apply a cold pack and take a simple analgesic if required to relieve pain or swelling
c. Take off all clothes that have come in contact with the poisonous plant
d. Apply heat
NOTE: For further clarification/s about the lesson, you can contact the teacher at 0975-
276-9587.
REFERENCES:
Physical education and health Volume II First Edition by: Conrado R. Aparato, Zyra Ruth Tallaroc-
Brebante, Lualhati Fernando-Callo, and Peter Fermin Dajime
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