26/07/2001

Professor Joan Ozanne-Smith Chair of Injury Prevention Monash University

The deaths and injury in Australian homes would cause widespread industrial action and provoke major legislative reform by Governments if they occurred in the work place, it was claimed today. The comments come on the day when the Victorian Injury Surveillance and Applied Research System (VISAR) announced details into the research of the one-millionth case of injury since 1995. The Victorian Minister for WorkCover, the Hon. Bob Cameron, together with the one-millionth case study, Tobi O'Brien, aged five years from West Brunswick, will watch as 'Benny,' the falls assessment testing equipment is demonstrated. Tobi O'Brien fell whilst playing in a school playground last Saturday breaking his forearm. VISAR, commenced in 1988, has become a world leader in collecting, developing and reporting on injury data providing information for the major injury prevention campaigns on bike safety, home safety, playground, and pool safety. VISAR is based at Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and funded by VIC HEALTH. Professor Joan Ozanne-Smith, Chair of Injury Prevention at Monash University said, “Home injuries are at epidemic proportions with around 1,100 people a day in Australia being admitted to hospital emergency departments, with children under five and older persons the most vulnerable." "One simple comparison is injuries caused by falls. In the workplace there are very strict conditions in guarding workers from falls over a metre. At home and in public places, playgrounds can legally be designed with two metre fall heights. In the workplace there are extremely strict controls over the storage of chemicals and dangerous substances. By contrast, in any home under the kitchen and laundry sink there is usually a fatal cocktail of poisons for young children. Professor Ozanne-Smith said that there is a need for change in community attitude towards safety in the home with a similar philosophy to that which is in the workplace. "People need to realise that in a split second the life of the person involved and those of the family can be changed forever depending on the seriousness of the injury. "Serious head injury from falls resulting in permanent brain damage, toddler drowning, fractured hips in older persons, severe burns, or serious poisoning often occur at home." Professor Ozanne-Smith urged direct action to limit injuries in the home through better design of homes and products. These should include the use of pool fencing, slip resistant flooring, balustrades on steps and stairs, limiting hot water to 50°C, safe storage for medicines and domestic chemicals, safety glass in windows and doors, driveways separated from play areas, and safety procedures when using ladders. Over the past five years VISAR has recorded one million injury cases. We believe with a major change in design and attitude at least 50% of the injuries in the home could be avoided. Media Enquiries: Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 98185700