Key issues
In order to maximise the impact of our home safety accident prevention work, we have identified two ‘key issues’.
These are significant topics where we believe our intervention, working in co-operation with others, can help secure improvement in accident prevention.
Our key issues are:
1. To improve the safety of the built environment of homes and gardens.
'Can the Home Ever be Safe?' is a policy document recommending improvements sought by RoSPA at the design and build stage of new homes or when homes are refurbished. The document is intended to target simple, low cost design improvements to increase safety within the home, which RoSPA considers essential to reduce accidental injury.
2. To obtain home accident death and injury data in the UK.
In 2002, the former Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ceased to collect injury data for its Home Accident Surveillance System (HASS) and Leisure Accident Surveillance System (LASS). A year-long study was commissioned jointly by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) and Intertek RAM, and supported by the Department of Health, to research the feasibility of setting up a new, UK-wide injury surveillance system.
Further information on Home Accident Statistics can be found here.
Product safety: Key issues
There is clearly a need for better product safety management. RoSPA believes the following issues must be addressed:
1. The need to develop safer products
An estimated 0.75 million accidental injuries each year are caused by unsafe products. Despite product safety legislation and standards, many products still present unacceptable risks.
RoSPA is working to promote a coherent product safety culture, including a stronger emphasis on using risk assessment at the design stage, going beyond minimum standards and encouraging the integration of product safety management systems with other systems dealing with health and safety, quality and the environment.
2. Better information on product safety, including product recalls
There is no comprehensive and accessible source of case data on product-related accidental injuries, safety-related product recalls or enforcement action. Similarly, there is no mandatory requirement for manufacturers to report product safety failures. RoSPA is developing proposals to address these issues.