In a world where everything is visually documented and posted on social media, it’s no surprise that selfie-related deaths are on the rise. The very act of taking a selfie takes one’s mind and eyes off everything else. When taking a selfie, people temporarily lose track of their surroundings, including potential line-of-fire hazards and things that could cause them to lose their balance, traction or grip.

Selfies also lead people to assume risks they wouldn’t normally take to capture the most unbelievable picture. There are people hanging off tall buildings, backing off cliffs and mountains, drowning in waves and waterfalls, posing next to oncoming trains, posing with their guns—all unnecessary risks for a cool picture that can (and do) result in their untimely death.

According to Priceonomics there have been 49 selfie-related deaths since 2014. And they all were preventable. To stop selfie deaths, people need better safety skills and a stronger awareness about how their state of mind affects their decisions. Workplace safety training can do exactly that. See the full picture of human error, and how safety professionals can keep their employees safe from selfies and other off-the-job risk, in one of our free webinars.