Plan and Policies
Raising Awareness
Changes in behaviour are likely to occur if a climate of opinion has
been created within our society which makes safe behaviour an integral
part of people's lifestyle. People need to see accidents as a serious
problem that can be addressed. This means that they must have the
information about preventive measures available.
Although accurate information is the
backbone of all safety work, it does not necessarily lead to changes
in behaviour. Information needs to be supported by the skills and
opportunities to make decisions and act upon them. This is not easy
to provide and so it is important to encourage Health Alliances to
utilise the wide range of expertise available within the County.
Influencing Behaviour
Many accidents occur because of human factors as well as a result
of unsafe products or environmental circumstances. There is a close
link between these, for instance in choice of transport mode - using
cars instead of buses, trains, cycles and walking.
Many preventative measures have to be
implemented by people themselves and are more likely to be successful
if single action is needed (for example the one off installation of
safety film to glass).
Other factors which will influence whether
a preventative measure will be taken and how effective it will be
are:
The Environment
Making changes in the environment through engineering, planning, design,
manufacture and marketing of safer products can be one of the most
effective ways of preventing accidents. Such changes are frequently
achieved through legislation, standards and codes of practice which
are then monitored by the various enforcement agencies.
Other environmental measures require
the active participation of the public. Their effectiveness relies
on a specific action being carried out on one or more occasions e.g.
wearing of seat belts. These measures may be less effective than passive
intervention e.g. safety film added to glass, as they rely on people's
behaviour, but they are frequently the changes which are more easily
available to an individual and therefore can be effective.
