Home safety key issues - RoSPA

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Preventing accidents in the home
“A safe, secure and sustainable environment is a prerequisite
for a healthy nation.” 5
A combination of factors is required:
Environment
Improvement in planning and design results in safer homes and leisure areas. Adaptations such as fireguards and safety gates help to
make the home environment safer.
Education
This involves increasing the awareness of the risk of accidents in a variety of settings and providing information on ways of minimising
these risks.
Empowerment
Local consultation and community involvement can generate a strong sense of commitment and ownership. Accident
prevention initiatives, which have been influenced by the community, are more likely to reflect local need and therefore
encourage greater commitment.
Enforcement
There is legislation which relates to child safety. These regulations ensure that the products we buy meet a reasonable level of safety
performance and that new dwellings meet an acceptable level of safety.
References
Combined data from:
1. Office for National Statistics: Mortality Statistics: Deaths Registered in 2011 (Series DR), table 7. London: ONS, 2012. http://www.ons.
gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-277727 (accessed May 2013).
2. General Register Office for Scotland: Vital Events Reference Tables 2011, table 6.2. Edinburgh: GROS, 2012. http://www.gro-scotland.
gov.uk/files2/stats/ve-reftables-2011/ve-2011-t6.2.pdf (accessed May 2013).
3. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Registrar General Northern Ireland Annual Report 2011, table 6.2. Belfast: DFP, 2012.
http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp100.htm (accessed May 2013).
4. Department of Health. Our healthier nation: a contract for health. Consultation Paper London: Stationery Office, 1998. 94pp.
5. Transport Research Laboratory. Re-evaluation of home accidents (report PPR 483). Bracknell” IHS, 2010. http://www.rospa.com/
homesafety/Info/re-evaluation.pdf (accessed May 2013).
6. Department for Trade and Industry. 24th (final) report of the Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System: 2000,2001 and 2002
data. London: DTI, 2003. http://www.hassandlass.org.uk/reports/2000_2002.pdf (accessed May 2013).
Accident Prevention Handbook Part 2: Home Safety Fact Sheet