Cookstown District Council
Environmental Health
Home Accident Prevention - An Introduction
What is it?
The Home Accident Prevention Group is a voluntary group that aims to prevent all kinds of accidents in and around the home.
What does it do?
The HAP group works within the Cookstown district to further knowledge and awareness of people in the community to the dangers in and around the home.
This is done through a partnership approach. The HAP group organise and take part in different initiatives regarding home safety. Some examples of the group’s activities and awareness raising initiatives are as follows;
- Bee Safe – A LASER event (Learning About Safety by Experiencing Risk).An interactive event targeted at primary 7 school children.
- Home Safety Equipment Scheme – Safety equipment supplied to older people and families with children fewer than 5.
- Talks to local community groups i.e. parent/toddler groups, older people’s groups
Who is the target Audience?
We focus on all areas of home safety and target all age groups, but we pay particular attention to high risk groups i.e. children, older people and socially disadvantaged.
Additionally every year HAPNI have a particular theme for the year that the local HAP group can focus on. The theme for 2006 was falls and trips.
Who is involved? / Who are the member’s of the group?
Membership consists of local representatives from the Cookstown district that have an interest in home safety and a desire to raise awareness to the dangers in and around homes. The group is made up of representatives from the following:-
- District Nurse
- Northern Ireland Housing Executive
- Surestart
- Age Concern
- Local Councillor’s
- PSNI
- Fire Brigade
- Environmental Health
- Health Visitor’s
- Community Representatives
- Interested member’s of the public
Who can become Involved?
We welcome anyone with an interest in home safety or who would like to raise awareness in their community on the subject of home safety. Meetings are held once per month. If you would like to talk to someone about becoming a member then simply contact Joanne Loughry Robinson at Cookstown District Council Offices on 028 86762205.