last updated 18th February 05
By Ian Gordon - Housing Policy Officer, RoSPA

But no one is responsible!

Today’s brand new homes provide householders with a low maintenance, energy efficient, secure and healthy living environment. Or so one would realistically assume.

Thanks to housing, building and product legislation, materials and fittings are better than ever before and homes generally safer

It’s surprising therefore that the home environment still remains a greater accident threat to individual health than the workplace or our roads.

Accidents in UK homes result in nearly 4000 deaths annually and 2.7 million people requiring medical attention at A&E departments the length and breadth of the country.

Building Regulations have played an important role by reducing accident risk, albeit within the relatively small annual addition of brand new homes built each year.

But who has the statutory responsibility to reduce this significant and costly source of inconvenience, suffering and misery in our homes? The short answer is no one. It’s really down to individuals and organisations to decide on home safety issues.

Local Authorities, the Health Service and Social Housing all acknowledge the benefits of home injury prevention, and the Department of Health generally targets those most at risk from those already injured by falls, for example, to prioritise their spending on the most needy.

RoSPA however believes that there’s additional merit in getting upstream of accidents, by creating a safer physical environment in our homes. This was reflected in 2002 when RoSPA published, “Can The Home Ever Be Safe?”; a policy document which matched accident “blackspots” with simple, low-cost prevention measures.

These include:

* Lockable, high level cupboards to safely store drugs and household chemicals.
* Safe and secure fixing points for stair gates and fireguards.
* Accessible controls and restrictor catches to make windows safer.
* Design modifications to make staircases safer including a second handrail.
* Thermostatic mixer valves (TMV’s) to ensure safer hot water for bathing.
* Grab rails for bathroom and WC.
* Home and garden “Safety Checklists” for householders.

Written with housing professionals in mind, the messages are clear but the advice applicable to homes everywhere. With minor modifications to our homes, we can live safer and in some instances, longer by reducing accident risks at a relatively low cost. The cost of these accident prevention measures would be about £1300

With government financial support, RoSPA has been able to take this series of design recommendations to developers and housing providers and encourage the wider adoption of the principles of “designing out” home injury risks and then promoting home accident prevention to householders through raised awareness and education.

Whether the RoSPA housing policy recommendations are part of a housing development or large-scale refurbishment or simply adopted by a single home improvement project is not important.

What is essential is that considering home safety improvement measures becomes part of the overall design and thought process. Where home improvements, such as the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, take place, the merits of accident prevention measures should be considered alongside wall and floor finishes, and included as part of the whole package.

With regard to design issues, as long as there is a drive to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as is practicable, it makes sense to build-in provision for future adaptations during home improvement projects. By planning ahead, you can produce cost savings in the long run.

Whatever the scale of your home improvement project, you can tap into further “added value” by thinking about measures to reduce your home accident risk and create a home environment that’s safer and actually improves your quality of life by preventing accidental injury in your home. Investment in the safety of you and your family has to be a winner.