Search PubMed⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 11329693

Home safety.

J Stewart
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

There are more accidents in the home than many other environments, yet there is no duty on local authorities to promote domestic safety per se and the discretionary powers under the Home Safety Act 1961 are rarely used. The local authority remit in safe housing is therefore largely through housing enforcement and grant led activity. The main statutory controls available to local authorities in addressing home safety are found under various Housing Acts, in particular the statutory standard of fitness for habitation, which can provide remedy for some, although not all, potential home accidents. There are many potential hazards in the home which current legislation fails to address. This is one reason why a new standard of assessing domestic conditions--the Housing Health and Safety Rating System--is currently being considered. This new system seeks to change the current emphasis on a 'materials and construction specification' type approach to a system based on known domestic hazards and their reduction ('performance specification') although there remains much debate around the subject. This paper considers the current and proposed systems and other opportunities available to local authorities in addressing the major area of home safety.

Explore related subjects

Accidents, HomeHousingHumansNeeds AssessmentPopulation SurveillancePublic Health PracticeSafety ManagementUnited KingdomJournal ArticleReview

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

J Stewart. 2001. Home safety.. https://doi.org/10.1177/146642400112100106

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

Child injury risks are close to home: parent psychosocial factors associated with child safety.

OBJECTIVE: In several populations, maternal depression has been associated with reduced child safety. In an urban pediatric Emergency Department, we examined the relationship between parental depression, social support, and domestic conflict and child safety behaviors. METHODS: We studied consecutive patients in an Emergency Department. Trained interviewers used a structured instrument to assess patient, primary caregiver, and household demographics, socio-economic status, psychosocial factors, child safety behaviors (whether a gun was in the home, poisons were locked, a functioning smoke detector was present, and use of carseats or seatbelts), and whether the home was smoke-free. 1,116 patients provided adequate data. RESULTS: Depression was associated with a modest and not statistically significant reduction in child safety behaviors in this population. Lack of social support and the presence of domestic conflict were robustly, independently, and statistically significantly associated with less safe homes. Domestic conflict was associated with more smoking in the home. CONCLUSION: In our population, child safety was associated less with depression and more with parental lack of social support and domestic conflict. These can be assessed in a Emergency Department and may be amenable to intervention.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed2007

Home injuries mortality: sensitivity and specificity analysis of different data sources and operative definitions.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this longitudinal study was to test different operational definitions of home accident mortality. METHODS: The sources of data were the Emergency Information System, hospital discharge reports and the mortality registry of the Lazio Region, 2000-2001. We selected all emergency room visits for unintentional traumas that occurred at home. A 9-month follow-up was performed to calculate mortality rates. A sensitivity analysis of in-hospital mortality, deaths within 30 days and deaths from home accident E-codes was performed. A gold standard definition of home accident-related deaths was proposed. RESULTS: We observed 598 home accident-related fatalities (29.1% of all the deaths found in the follow-up study). In-hospital mortality, deaths within 30 days and deaths for home accident E-codes had sensitivity values of 63.4%, 63.4% and 59.4%, respectively; positive predictive values were 78.1%, 67.1% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The best operational definition of home injury was based on in-hospital mortality, while mortality based on E-codes reported on death certificates was lacking. In order to measure the real burden of home injuries, hospital and mortality data must be integrated.

Accidents, Home↗