As a national non-profit organization, the Home Safety Council (HSC) is dedicated to preventing home-related injuries through educating the public. The Home Safety Council is a “leading source for home safety tips, checklists and information about home fire safety, falls prevention, poison prevention, water safety, child safety, disaster preparedness as well as many other home safety topics.”1 HSC utilizes innovative website technology, educational resources for teachers, policy makers, and corporations, partnerships with companies, and a network of volunteers to accomplish its goals.
Playground safety, whether public or private, is one of the areas the Home Safety Council focuses on with parent safety guides, school curriculum, and kid-friendly activities, such as the award-winning website for elementary school children: Code Red Rover.2
In May of 2005, HSC joined with Lowe's and Swing-N-Slide to sponsor the Play Set Safety Week. This was after they had commissioned a comprehensive home injuries study and issued The State of Home Safety in America report in 2004. Since 2005, they have promoted the Home Safety Month in June, just as school is ending and children are spending most of their time at home including on their backyard play equipment.
As a way to reach even more homes, the Home Safety Council's Literacy Project “provides effective, low-cost fire safety, disaster preparedness, and poison prevention education materials that can be used by adults at all reading levels.”3 On a national level, HSC's Policy Advocates Center supports legislation for safer homes, and they award Commendation Seals for Safety Innovation. In 2006, one of the companies commended was the EI Du Pont de Newmours and Company for their Long Lasting Mulch as a surface for indoor and outdoor playgrounds.
- 1. “Home Safety Council.” Home Safety Council. < http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/index.asp > 31 Jan. 2011.
- 2. “Code Red Rover.” Code Red Rover. < http://www.coderedrover.org/ > 31 Jan. 2011.
- 3. “An Overview of the Home Safety Literacy Project.” Home Safety Council. < http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/AboutUs/HSLP/hslp_overview_w001.asp > 31 Jan. 2011.
