Trust Launches Accident Prevention Website

ACCIDENT and Emergency departments across Ulster saw more than 3,000 attendances caused by accidents in the home last year, it’s been revealed.

Launching new online accident prevention resource www.safehome4me.com, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust said that 445 of these 3,336 took place in its area.

The website, which has been developed by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, is designed for pre-school and primary school settings, and can also be used at home.

It introduces children to various behavioural, product and environmental risk factors that can lead to common accidents in the home through a series of interactive games and watch and learn sequences.

Topics covered included bouncing (trampoline) accidents; burns and scalds; falling and crashing; poisoning; ear, nose and mouth accidents and contacting the emergency services.

Copies of the teachers’ pack accompanying the resource are being sent to every nursery and primary school in the Trust area.

Melanie McClements, who is assistant director of promoting wellbeing for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, said that the resource would help children develop attitudes around keeping themselves and others safe, as well as showing them what to do if an accident happened.

“The scenarios and games on the website work best if explained and discussed with an adult initially, but once children are familiar with the site, they can continue to use it alone,” she added.

Joan Shine, assistant advisory officer with the Southern Education and Library Board, said the site would be a useful tool for teachers “as it focuses directly on everyday activities that children do, so their interest and imagination will be stimulated”.