Every year there are 6000 deaths in the UK as a result of accidents in or around the home as well as 2.7 million people a year requiring a hospital visit. A UK government report published in 2018 stated that accidents at home are a leading cause of preventable death for children under five years and are a major cause of ill health and serious disability.
Children living in the most deprived areas are most at risk and there is a 38% greater risk of hospital admissions for a preventable injury. Older people are also at an increased risk of injury and death; and falls are the major reason of hospitalisation for older people.
Despite these figures, presently there is not a great deal of information known about what factors influence unintentional injuries and how these can be mitigated.
Scottish Community Safety Network (SCSN) commissioned a rapid literature review which aimed to explore and understand contributory factors to unintentional harm in the home and the initiatives that help to reduce them.
Download the full report here.
View the data extraction table here.