RoSPA Press Office : Press Releases : 2001

Nearly 1,000 businesses and organisations from home and abroad will be celebrating their outstanding safety achievements next week when they are honoured by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards, sponsored by RMC, will be presented to around 900 UK organisations and 60 from overseas. Full Story»

The pain and misery caused by the devastating effects of home accidents could be reduced if buildings and domestic products were designed with safety in mind, according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Every day ten people are killed in the UK as a result of an accident in the home and more than 8,000 seek medical assistance. Full Story»

Around 1,000 people a day seek medical treatment in Scotland after suffering an accident in the home and more than 20,000 are hospitalised each year, warns The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. In a bid to raise awareness of the problem and address home safety issues, RoSPA is holding a conference later this month to encourage professionals to work together. Full Story»

Families planning a shopping spree instead of going on holiday this Easter should beware - DIY stores, garden centres and supermarkets can be dangerous, according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Provisional figures in a new report show two customers were killed and about 3,000 injured in retail premises in Great Britain in 1999/2000 - an increase of 50 per cent on the previous year, and the highest figure in recent times. RoSPA believes many more accidents may go unreported. Full Story»

Bosses must start a road safety revolution if the high number of people killed while driving for work is to be reduced, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today. John Howard, RoSPA Director of Safety Policy, will urge employers at a conference in London tomorrow (Thursday) to back the road safety "dream ticket" which will not only save lives, but also money for all involved. Full Story»

Recommendations in a draft code laying down directors’ responsibilities for health and safety do not go far enough, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said today. Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said that unless proposals in the Health and Safety Commission consultation document were more far reaching, "accidents waiting to happen" would not be prevented. Full Story»

Employers and the Health and Safety Executive must make the prevention of work-related road accidents a top priority if targets to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads are to be achieved, RoSPA said today. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents welcomed today’s publication of an HSE discussion document on the issue, and said it reinforced the Society’s claims that up to 1,000 road deaths each year involve people driving for work. Full Story»

Children from poorer backgrounds are as much as six times more likely to be injured in a road traffic accident than those in more affluent areas, experts will tell a national conference on Monday. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ annual road safety congress Child Casualties - Meeting the Target, in association with Britax, will be held at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel, March 12-14. Full Story»

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has issued a warning about travelling in poor weather conditions after three coaches carrying British schoolchildren crashed in separate incidents as they returned from skiing trips. Two accidents happened in Austria and one in France as the children were returning home from half-term breaks. There had been heavy snow across Europe and some roads were said to be like ice rinks. Full Story»

Fears over the high number of people drowning in the UK have prompted The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to stage a national conference to tackle the problem. RoSPA believes the issue needs to be given greater priority by managers of water sites and swimming pools. About 570 people drown in the UK each year. Latest figures showed 54 deaths among children, 50 per cent up on the previous year. Full Story»