4387.2 - Safety in the Home, Victoria, Oct 1998  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/03/1999  Ceased
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

ALL HOUSEHOLDS

There were 234,100 households with young children resident and 1,500,000 households with no young children resident.

Smoke detectors

As at October 1998, over four-fifths of households (84.3% or 1,461,300) had one or more smoke detectors installed. Nearly half of all households tested their smoke detectors less frequently than monthly (47.1% or 688,200), with 11.5% (168,600) never testing their smoke detectors.

Electrical safety switches

Only 44.3% (767,500) of households had an electrical safety switch installed. The proportion was marginally higher for households in the Melbourne Major Statistical Region (Melbourne MSR), where 45.3% (561,500) had an electrical safety switch installed compared with 41.7% (206,000) for the Balance of Victoria Major Statistical Region (Balance of Victoria MSR).

Hot water scalds at hottest

A significant proportion of households, 70.6% (1,224,700) had the temperature of their hot water systems set at a level which could scald or burn a young child when the hot water was running at its hottest. There was a higher incidence of this occurring in the Balance of Victoria MSR where the proportion was 75.7% (374,400) compared with 68.6% (850,400 ) for the Melbourne MSR.

First aid training

Less than a third of households had one or more residents who had undertaken first aid training in the last three years, which included mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage (CPR) (26.5% or 459,900).

HOUSEHOLDS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN RESIDENT

There were 234,100 households with young children resident, making up 13.5% of total households.

Smoke detectors

A higher proportion of households with young children resident had smoke detectors installed than households without young children resident (91.4% or 213,900 compared with 83.2% or 1,247,400).

Electrical safety switches

Households with young children resident were more likely to have an electrical safety switch installed than households without young children resident (53.4% or 125,000 compared with 42.8% or 642,500).

Babywalker

Of the 39,100 (16.7%) households with young children resident who reported having a babywalker at their residence, 62.1% (24,300) stated that the babywalker was not currently in use.

First aid training

The proportion of households with one or more residents with first aid training in the last three years, which included mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR, without young children resident, was low (25.6% or 383,300), but was marginally higher for households with young children resident (32.7% or 76,600).



HOUSEHOLDS WITH OLDER PERSONS RESIDENT

There were some 496,700 households with older persons resident, making up 28.6% of total households.

Smoke detectors

Over four-fifths of households with older persons resident reported having smoke detectors installed (83.4% or 414,200). This closely mirrored households without older persons resident where 84.6% (1,047,100) had smoke detectors installed.

First aid training

A significantly higher proportion of households with no older person resident, had received first aid training in the last three years, which included mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR compared with households with older persons resident, (33.7% or 417,000 compared with 8.6% or 42,900).

RURAL HOUSEHOLDS

There were some 39,700 rural households with young children resident or young children regularly visiting the household, making up 2.3% of total households.

Rural barrier fencing

Significantly, 44.7% (50,300) of rural households did not have a fence around the house which would prevent young children from wandering away from the house. Further, only 17.4% (10,800) of rural households that did have such a fence had self-closing and self-latching gates attached to this fence.

Motorised cycle usage

Some 31.0% (34,900) of rural households used motorised cycles on their property. The proportion was higher for households with young children resident or visiting (34.3% or 13,600 compared with 29.3% or 21,300 for households with no young children).

PERSONS WHO RODE A HORSE

Overall, there were 152,600 persons who had ridden a horse at least once in the three months leading up to the conduct of the survey. Recreation was the main reason for riding a horse for 90.9% or 138,700 of horse riders.

Hard helmet worn

More than three-quarters (78.5% or 119,800) of horse riders reported that hard helmets were worn when horse riding. Horse riders aged 20 years and over were less likely to wear hard helmets when riding than riders aged less than 20 years (72.6% compared with 83.8%).

COMPARISONS WITH 1992 FOR THE MELBOURNE MAJOR STATISTICAL REGION

In October 1998, there were 168,300 households in the Melbourne MSR with young children resident and 1,071,600 households with no young children resident. This compares with the 1992 Safety in the Home Survey conducted in Melbourne where there were 166,500 households in the Melbourne MSR with young children resident and 967,700 households with no young children resident.

First aid training

There has been a small increase in the proportion of households in the Melbourne MSR where one or more usual residents have received first aid training in the last three years, which has included both mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR, from 20.3% (230,200) in 1992 to 24.4% (302,900) in 1998. Households with young children resident experienced a more significant rise, from 23.1% (38,500) in 1992 to 29.1% (48,900) in 1998.

Adjustable hot water thermostats

There has been a small increase only in the number of households in Melbourne MSR with an adjustable hot water thermostat installed since 1992 from 63.4% (718,700) in 1992 to 68.1% (843,900) in 1998. Similarly the number of adjustable hot water thermostats installed in households with young children resident increased by only a small margin from 64.9% (108,100) in 1992 to 68.1% (114,600) in 1998.

Electrical safety switches

There has been more than a threefold increase in the number of households in Melbourne MSR which have installed electrical safety switches since 1992 from 14.2% (161,400) in 1992 to 45.3% (561,500) in 1998. The number of electrical safety switches installed in households with young children resident increased from 22.1% (36,800) in 1992 to 56.1% (94,400) in 1998. Part of this increase can be attributed to the legal requirement that all new dwellings and extensions built in Victoria require an electrical safety switch to be installed.

Smoke detectors

The number of households in the Melbourne MSR with smoke detectors installed has more than doubled since 1992 from 32.3% (366,600) to 83.8% (1,039,500) in 1998. Similarly, the number of smoke detectors installed in households with young children resident increased from 45.7% (76,100) in 1992 to 91.5% (154,000) in 1998

Swimming pools

Of the 6.8% (84,000) of households in the Melbourne MSR that had a swimming pool on their property, 72.0% (60,500) had self-closing and self-latching (child resistant) gates attached to the fence around the pool, which is a significant improvement over 1992 where, of the 8.1% (91,900) of households that had a swimming pool on their property, 17.6% (16,200) had self-closing and self-latching (child resistant) gates attached to the fence around the pool.