RoSPA to introduce safer homes framework to housing industry

16 Apr 2020 10:24 AM

On Tuesday April 21, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) will be holding a webinar to introduce Safer by design, a new framework which aims to improve home design to reduce accidents in the home.

Safer by design has been developed with industry experts, and enables house builders to go beyond current regulatory requirements to prevent the most common home accidents. The framework outlines low-cost, practical interventions that can be “designed in” to address issues such as falls, poisoning, entrapment and burns and scalds.

Attendees for the webinar, which is being hosted by the Chartered Institute of Housing, will hear presentations from Becky Hickman, executive head of business development at RoSPA, Mike Roys, technical consultant on the project, and Jayne Lombardi, head of health and safety at Orbit Homes. Orbit Homes, a group of housing associations, is among the first in the sector to adopt the recommendations of Safer by design for some of its new developments.

The webinar will be chaired by Sarah Davis, senior policy and practice officer at the Charted Institute of Housing, and will cover the need for and the methodology behind Safer by design, and how architects and housing professionals can economically and practically incorporate the framework. 

Becky Hickman said: “Every year in the UK, 6,000 die as a result of an accident in the home. As a result, the home is most the dangerous place to be. RoSPA’s Safer by Design framework aims to reduce the number of accidents that occur in domestic settings by putting safety at the heart of new housing projects. With our partners in the construction industry we are making progress towards this goal. The upcoming webinar is a great opportunity to find out more the framework.

“There are still a few places available on the session, but book soon to avoid disappointment.”

Registration for the Safer by design webinar is free for RoSPA and CIH members; RoSPA members should register by sending their name and email address to partnerships@rospa.com. CIH members can register directly on the CIH website.