Free Home Safety Check

Southern Safer Homes provide a free home safety check for many residents in Newry and Mourne including the over 65's, families with children under the age of 5, or people with a disability.

Southern Safer Homes is a home safety project delivered by Southern Group Environmental Health Committee (SGEHC) in partnership with the five Southern Group Councils; Newry and Mourne District Council, Armagh City & District, Banbridge District Council, Craigavon Borough Council and Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council.  The project is jointly funded by SGEHC, the Councils and the Public Health Agency.

The project aims to help reduce the number of accidental deaths and injuries which occur in homes. It is directed at those most at risk of having an accident within their own home; people aged over 65 years, children under the age of 5, vulnerable adults/ children, those with a disability or special needs as well as travellers and other ethnic minority groups. 

To do this work, the project employs a Home Safety Officer in each District Council area, who carries out free home safety checks for these groups.  The Home Safety Officers will also make referrals on the householder’s behalf to other agencies and services who can help them. Over the 5 years of the project, approximately 5000 people have been reached through home visits, presentations and talks.

A recent event promoting the work of the project attracted a wide range of delegates from the statutory and community sector. Mary Black, Assistant Director of Public Health, Health & Social Wellbeing Improvement, PHA advised delegates that ‘home accident prevention is a significant public health issue and the reduction of accidents, including house fires, has been identified as one of the 

PHA’s corporate objectives’. Startlingly, in 2010 there were 144 deaths from accidental falls compared to 123 from transport accidents.

Councillor John McArdle, Mayor of Newry and Mourne congratulated the partners on the success of the project.  He said “Falls and other home accidents can have a significant impact our quality of life.  The Council is delighted to be a part of this project which helps people to be safer in their homes.”                                                                            

If you would like to request a home safety visit, and you fall into one of the target groups listed above then contact Catherine Lynch, Home Safety Officer at Newry and Mourne District Council on 028 3031 3031