Conference discusses accident prevention in homes

A conference to support the implementation of the Northern Ireland Home Accident Prevention Strategy and Action Plan has been held Belfast.

Organised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the ‘Making the Strategy Work’ conference was aimed at all those involved in promoting safety in the home.

Speaking at the conference on Thursday, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Henrietta Campbell, said: "It is a startling fact that over 41% of accidents occur in the home, compared to almost 35% at work and on the roads. It is also estimated that there is an average of 70 deaths and over 70,000 injuries every year, due to home accidents. The cost in terms of human suffering is enormous, not to mention the costs to the health service.”

Dr Campbell said the strategy had identified a strong link between poverty and accidents in the home.

“It rightly targets those most at risk and I believe that preventative measures among those groups will have the greatest effect,” she continued. “We need to build on existing partnership working to deliver on the targets in the strategy and to raise the profile of home accidents, improve training and research and data collection."

The conference brought together community and voluntary representatives and professional practitioners, to share their knowledge and decide what work still needs to be done to improve awareness and training on accident prevention.

The Strategy and Action Plan, was developed by an inter-sectoral Working Group, including representatives from the statutory, voluntary and community sectors.

(MB)