RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

March 14, 2008
THE ROLE OF REGULATION IN REDUCING HOME ACCIDENTS

A RoSPA conference is to explore how far regulation should go in tackling home accidents, which result in more than 4,000 deaths and 2.7 million people going to hospital in the UK each year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is looking for speakers for its National Home Safety Congress which will consider how to strike the right balance between “complacency and paranoia” when dealing with the problem.

The conference - Regulating for Home Safety - will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool, on November 11-12, 2008.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA Deputy Chief Executive, said: “The home is where people want to let go and enjoy their leisure time, but sadly it is the place where they have most accidents.

“Perhaps some people are too complacent about safety in their own home and will even undertake tasks which they would never dream about taking on if they were asked to do them at work.

“But the last thing we want is for them to become paranoid about accidents in the place they should be relaxed and happy.

“Ideally, we need our homes to be as safe as necessary rather than as safe as possible.

“Our conference will consider where regulation has a role to play. For instance, it has been important in improving the safety of the products we use around our homes, and in Scotland it is mandatory for thermostatic mixing valves to be fitted in the bathrooms of new properties to protect against scalding.

“We will ask speakers to help to establish the appropriate level for regulation in the home.”

Topics to be discussed include: regulations and their contribution to consumer safety; the relationship between regulation and accident rates; the appropriate level of regulation for safety in the home; the need for more or less regulation; should thermostatic mixing valves be mandatory in the rest of the UK, as they are in Scotland?; making children’s play safe and exciting; and the nature of independent living for the over 85s.

Safety professionals interested in making a presentation at the conference should submit an abstract of about 500 words to RoSPA by May 16, 2008. They should be sent to: Kairen Sanderson, RoSPA, 353 Bristol Road, Birmingham, B5 7ST, or email: ksanderson@rospa.com .