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64
HEALTH EDUCATION
The two principal subjects on which attention was concentrated on were 'Clean Air'
and 'Home Safety'. Clean Air is dealt with on page 40 under Smoke Control Areas.
Details of Home Safety and other activities are as follows:-
Home Safety
Background:
Section 82 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1957, authorised
Metropolitan Borough Councils to make arrangements for the dissemination within each
Borough of advice for the purpose of promoting safety in the home and of encouraging
the taking of proper precautions for avoiding the occurrence of accidents therein.
Prior to this the Council had been limited to co-operating with the L. C. C. ,
particularly during their annual Home Safety Week, subscribing to the Home Safety
Section of R. 0. S. P.A. and having speakers at Public Health Film shows when they were
held at the Central Library.
Now that the Council was empowered to take further action, it was decided that
Home Safety should become part of the functions of the Accident Prevention Committee
which previously had only dealt with Road Safety.
The following action was taken by the Committee during the year to try and make
people aware of the need to take action to make their homes, as far as possible,
free from potential dangers:-
Poster Campaign - "Cuts Cripple Tidy Up"
250 of these posters were displayed on Council and commercial sites the week
beginning June 13th. By arrangement with Mr. Peirson, Divisional Education Officer,
Fulham schools were given two copies of the poster with a covering letter giving some
facts on the subject.
Speakers:
A panel of speakers was formed and local organisations were told in September
that they were available to address them on Home Safety at their premises. Seven
organisations took advantage of this offer.
A "Burns and Scalds" Exhibition Stand incorporating a push-button Quiz was used at
the "Friends of Fulham" Hospital Carnival and Fete on June 13th and proved extremely
popular.
"Check That Fall" Campaign October, 1959 to March, 1960
This campaign, in two phases, dealt with "falls of the elderly" in the first
phase and in the second concentrated on making the "housewife and handyman" aware of
the causes and dangers of falls. The campaign was advertised in the local press and
Borough Organisations and Old People s Clubs were informed of it and invited to have a
speaker to give them a talk and/or conduct a "Check That Fall" Quiz amongst their
members. They were also offered the Quiz cards to conduct the Quiz themselves.
As a result 152 cards were completed and returned to the Department for analysis.
Of these 8 cases were referred to the North Thames Gas Board, 2 to the London
Electricity Board and 2 to the L.C. C. Home Help Service for investigation.