Injury Prevention and Control Program (IPCP)

Injuries  are predictable and preventable events but remain the third leading cause of death among Massachusetts residents and the leading cause of death among Massachusetts residents ages 1 to 44 (Massachusetts Department of Public Health. (2018). Data Brief - Injuries Among Massachusetts Residents, 2015).  An injury is defined as any unintentional or intentional damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy or the absence of such elements as heat or oxygen.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Injury Prevention and Control Program leverages “the Four E’s” when working to prevent injuries:

• Environmental Design and Engineering: Adoption of safer products, roadway layout, home modification, and workplace practice
• Enactment and Enforcement of Policies: Laws, regulations, and institutional policies that promote safer behaviors and responses to injury
• Education: Educating the public and professionals to change behaviors while reducing injuries
• Emergency Medical Services: Ensuring a high quality emergency medical system so that individuals who are ill or injured are transported to facilities with the most appropriate care in order to reduce morbidity and mortality