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General Research - Completed Studies
Slips, Trips and Falls in Buildings
The Australian Building Codes Board is seeking to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in buildings every year as a result of slipping and tripping on floors and stairs, and falling from balconies, verandahs and through windows. Many of the fall victims are elderly, sick or children. The Board is currently reviewing Australia's national Building Code of Australia (BCA) to make buildings safer.
The Board recently commissioned the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) to study the incidence of slips, trips and falls and their relationship to the design and construction of buildings. That study is now complete and the findings show the problem is significant. In Australia each year there are over 500 fatal falls and over 110,000 hospital admissions resulting from falls in buildings and these numbers are increasing as the population ages. The study also shows the annual cost due to slips, trips and falls is around $1.3 billion per annum. However, the study does not identify precisely what contribution the design and construction of buildings makes to these injuries and deaths. Nevertheless, even if the contribution is conservatively estimated at 20%, improvements to the building code to reduce slips, trips and falls in buildings could also reduce the burden on our health system by around $250 million per year.
As is the case for any proposed change to the BCA, there will need to be a proper assessment of the benefits that would be achieved and the costs to the community. Community and industry consultation will be an essential element of this assessment. While it is too early to speculate on what changes to the BCA are likely, cost-effective improvements may be possible to improve safety and reduce accidents and deaths due to slips, trips and falls in buildings.
- The report is available in the "Related Documents" box.
Health and Safety Risks in Buildings
The Australian Building Codes Board commissioned research on occupants' health and safety risks in buildings. The prime motivation for the study was to provide a basis for targeting the development of building regulations. The study attempts to answer “what is the health and safety impact in buildings of specific hazards that are controlled (or controllable) by the building code”.
- Reports are available in the "Related Documents" box.
Other Reports
The ABCB provides access to the following reports as a service to industry. The views expressed in the reports are those of the authors only and should not be construed in any way as having been endorsed by the ABCB or as representing the views of the ABCB.
- Impact Test Criteria for Flying Debris in Windstorms (Report available in the "Related Documents" box.)
Kerry Adams, James Cook University, Townsville, October 2001. Study reviews the current test standard AS1170.2 - 1989 and analyses the damaging effect of other realistic debris in order to recommend changes to the current test standard.
- Environmental Sustainability in Building Construction - Implications and Assessment Tools (Report available in the "Related Documents" box.)
Steve Grabar and Colin Dailey Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, 2003. Study reviews use of latest environmental sustainability assessment tools in building construction.
Disclaimer
The ABCB and the Participating Governments are committed to enhancing the availability and dissemination of information relevant to the built environment. The Health and Safety Risks in Buildings report (the Report) is designed in making such information easily available. However neither the ABCB, the Participating Governments, nor the groups or individuals which have been involved in the development of the Report, accept any responsibility for the use of the information contained in the Report and make no warranty or representation whatsoever that the information is an exhaustive treatment of the subject matters contained therein or is complete, accurate, up-to-date or relevant as a guide to action for any particular purpose. Users are required to exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. In any important matter, users should carefully evaluate the scope of the treatment of the particular subject matter, its completeness, accuracy, currency and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to the particular circumstances.
In particular, and to avoid doubt, the use of the Report does not:
- guarantee acceptance or accreditation of a material by any entity authorised to do so under any law;
- mean that a material complies with the BCA; or
- absolve the user from complying with any State, Territory or Commonwealth regulatory requirements.