Six Ways You Can Increase Your Knowledge of Public Health and Safety

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The primary goal of public health and safety is to protect citizens, promote healthy living, respond to natural disasters and reduce injuries and diseases. This covers every topic from food quality and occupational safety to environmental hazards. Below explains six ways that will increase your knowledge of public health and safety.

Attend Local Meetings

Attending local meetings will not only keep you informed of what is going on in your community, but allow you to participate first hand in public health and safety decisions. Consider attending local meetings and if possible, attend other civic or government meetings or conferences. Understanding legal policies and political topics provide the foundation for understanding public health and safety.

Read the News

Watching the news can be time consuming and monotonous. Instead, consider visiting major news websites that focus on public health and safety articles. If possible, create a Google Alert about public health and safety. Google Alerts allow the user to monitor the web for select, new content.

Read Blogs

While the internet is full of unsourced opinions, there are many official sources for information about public health and safety. For example, the Center for Disease and Controls (CDC) has their own blog that covers a variety of ‘health nerd’ topics. Stay up to date with information about public health and safety by reading blogs.

Volunteer

Understandably, most people don’t have the time or energy to engage full-time in civic duties. However, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities. For example, many local and state offices or departments have excellent volunteer opportunities. Helping to clean up the streets and volunteering at a local blood donation center are great ways to understand why public health and safety is important.

Safety Committee

Almost every public and private organization has some form of a safety committee. Joining the safety committee is an excellent way to learn about safety from a business perspective. Safety committees are involved with a variety of health and safety activities, such as facility inspections, fire extinguisher training and mandatory OSHA training for employees.

Formal Education

One of the best ways to truly increase your public health and safety competency is through completing an academic program. By getting a degree, you can find a full time job that allows you to make a difference in public health an safety.

In conclusion, there are many unique and engaging ways that people can learn more and become involved in public health and safety. It’s important to find opportunities to do your part and get involved.

Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO and often writes about health, fitness, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family when she isn’t writing. For those interested in pursuing a public health and safety career, consider getting an EKU online safety bachelor’s degree.

Anita Ginsburg