RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
May 3, 2001
"DESIGNING HOMES SAFELY WILL CUT HIGH ACCIDENT TOLL"
The pain and misery caused by the devastating effects of home accidents could be reduced if buildings and domestic products were designed with safety in mind, according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Every day ten people are killed in the UK as a result of an accident in the home and more than 8,000 seek medical assistance.
RoSPA’s national home safety conference, "Safety by Design", sponsored by William Levene, manufacturers of the Culinare SafetyCan, will be held at the Moat House Hotel, Stratford upon Avon, November 12 - 13.
The Society believes if homes and domestic products included more safety features, the number of accident victims would be substantially reduced.
Sarah Colles, RoSPA Home Safety Adviser, said: "Home accidents continue to claim 4,000 lives and result in nearly three million people seeking medical treatment annually, costing society an estimated £25,000 million every year.
"Architects, planners, designers and manufacturers all have a responsibility to play their part in reducing these statistics.
"Safety equipment, such as hardwired smoke alarms and sprinkler systems, should be included at the design stage for new houses and installed in homes being refurbished.
"Home owners and tenants should be encouraged to introduce safety items as a matter of course."
Speakers will be addressing issues such as adapting the home for safety, designing safe play areas, the advantages of using domestic sprinkler systems and creating a safe environment with home zones.
A number of workshops will be on offer, giving home safety professionals the opportunity to share ideas and experience.
The conference will be of interest to: home safety officers, health visitors, community practitioners, health promotion officers, designers, developers, fire officers, elected members, product manufacturers and trading standards officers.
