Safety first

Standing on top of unguarded containers, gathering around such vehicles and running behind them is a health hazard and can cause serious crowd accidents and injuries, notably head and neck injuries. A brain injury can cause long term mental and physical disability. Dense and mismanaged crowds can result in injuries ranging from bruising and knocks to the head to concussions and whiplash. As a healthcare professional, I feel someone needs to inform the general public that ‘safety comes first’. Pakistan has a high rate of traumatic brain injuries with limited quality provision of rehabilitation services to address them. Hence, caution must be advised and exercised at crowd gatherings.

Crowd safety is the responsibility of the event organizer. It takes proper coordination of event security, medical personnel and crowd managers to make sure a live event is safe for every attendee. Not all crowds are volatile but it takes a split second for a peaceful crowd to become a danger zone. Hence, proper planning is crucial to prevent unnecessary injuries.

Dr Aaisha Khan

Ireland