NEWS RELEASE
PR 1773
For Immediate
Release
18 June 2004
Don’t leave
safety to chance
BATH & North
East Somerset Council is supporting this year’s Child Safety Week
(June 21-27) by reinforcing the message that quick, simple checks
can prevent many childhood accidents.
Over the next 12 months, 350
children and young people will be killed in accidents and every year
one in six children (more than two million) under 15’s visit an
accident and emergency department as a result of an injury.
The tragedy is that many of these
deaths and injuries are predictable and preventable.
Bath & North East Somerset Council
is working with local health visitors from the Primary Care Trust
and Avon Fire Brigade on a number of initiatives during Child Safety
Week.
The initiatives form part of a
programme of safety information and advice issued throughout the
year by the local Avonsafe group - an alliance of local
organisations with a common interest in safety who work together to
increase public awareness of safety issues.
The information this Child Safety
Week is aimed at encouraging children, parents and carers to check
their knowledge, their behaviour and their surroundings for dangers.
It is hoped that this will help them
to take practical steps to prevent childhood accidents or
substantially reduce their impact.
Available to everyone with access to
the internet is a free ideas booklet from
www.capt.org.uk and the Council’s
website at www.bathnes.gov.uk
has a link from the Health Development page to the Child Accident
Prevention Trust’s website
The booklet contains safety
information, advice, guidance and facts on the five major hazard
areas – the kitchen, bathroom, halls, stairs and landing, patio,
garden or yard and roads. There are also competitions and quizzes
aimed at making learning about safety fun.
Sue Green, the Council’s Health
Development Officer, said: “Over one million children are injured
every year in an accident at home. Bath & North East Somerset
Council is keen to spread the message that many of these injuries
are avoidable and could be prevented.
“We would urge
parents and Carers of young people to look at the online booklet as
an interesting, informative and informative pack.”
Bath & North East Somerset Council
also works in partnership with a number of businesses throughout the
area to offer free advice on how to fit a child seat in your car
correctly.
Beryl Miles, Road Safety Officer,
said: “Parents, Grandparents and Carers need to check the child seat
fitting every time it is used. To find out what to look for they can
visit Fit Safe Sit Safe Centres in Bath and North East Somerset."
Details of Fit Safe Sit Centres are
included on the Council's website at
www.bathnes.gov.uk under 'R'
for Road Safety.
For more
information, contact:
Sue Green, Health
Development Officer, on Tel: 01225 477508 or e-mail sue_green@bathnes.gov.uk
Jeremy Parsons, Trading Standards
Officer, on Tel: 01225 476751 or e-mail jeremy_parsons@bathnes.gov.uk
For comment,
contact:
Cllr Vic
Pritchard, Executive Member for Community Safety and Housing, on
Tel: 01275 333159 or e-mail vic_pritchard@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath &
North East Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
