RoSPA Press Office : Press Releases : 2004

RoSPA today welcomed new guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive on accident investigation and called on employers to realise the benefits of learning from their safety failures. Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, urged businesses and organisations to “invest” more effort and expertise to unlock key lessons from accidents and incidents. Full Story»

The hunt is on to find the best young drivers in Britain. The competition, organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Advanced Drivers Association, is aimed at drivers up to 24 years-old – the group most at risk on our roads. Prizes will include Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) motor insurance vouchers to the value of £2,500, plus training and competition licence to race in Uniroyal Team Challenge at a major UK circuit. Full Story»

Palmer and Harvey McLane, winners of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents award for managing occupational road risk, have clocked up another success – all large goods vehicle drivers at their Belfast branch have passed the RoSPA Advanced Driving Test. The 12 drivers for the wholesale and distribution company in Northern Ireland all volunteered to take the test and were delighted with their success. Full Story»

RoSPA is behind a new campaign in Northern Ireland to root out dangerous electric blankets, which are a major threat to lives and property. Recent checks on electric blankets in the province have shown that nearly 70 per cent fail safety standards and could lead to fires. Full Story»

RoSPA has signed an elite team of driving instructors to concentrate on high-performance car buyers. The aim is to link with manufacturers so that customers can be given one-to-one instruction on how to get maximum enjoyment from their vehicles. But the team can also be called in by fleet managers or individuals. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today issued a six-point action plan to cut casualties on Britain’s roads after Government figures showed the highest number of road deaths for six years. Deaths rose from 3,431 in 2002 to 3,508 last year – up two per cent. The biggest problems were with deaths among motorcyclists – up 14 per cent – and car users – up one per cent. Full Story»

Children throughout Wales can now see how they measure up in safety terms thanks to a new campaign launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Wales Home Safety Council. Around 25,000 brightly-coloured height charts in Welsh and English are being distributed during Child Safety Week, which starts on Monday (June 21). Full Story»

Two of the toughest questions facing managers with responsibility for people who drive as their job will be dealt with at RoSPA’s latest seminar on managing occupational road risk (MORR). Delegates will hear about the problems of supervising employees who opt for “cash for a car” instead of a company car. And they will also learn about setting up an MORR policy from scratch. Full Story»

New proof that speed cameras are saving lives was welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today. An independent review of the first three years of the safety camera programme reveals a 40 per cent fall in deaths and serious injuries in 24 Safety Camera Partnership areas. This means that 870 fewer people were killed or seriously injured at those sites each year, including 105 fewer deaths. Full Story»

Northern Ireland home accident victims and their relatives have teamed up with RoSPA to tell their stories in an attempt to reduce the suffering caused by the province’s biggest accident problem. Around 62,000 people in Northern Ireland go to hospital each year after a home accident and more than 70 are killed. Full Story»