International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2005

Info for the community: www.kvam.no/

For further information contact:

Reidun Braut Kjosås
Health and welfare department of Kvam Municipality
A Govagjelet 16
NO-5601 Norheimsund
Norway
Phone: +47 56 55 68 68/69 03 or 91 73 75 15
Fax: +47 56 55 30 01
E-mail: reidun.kjosas@kvam.kommune.no

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

For the age-groups:
Children 0-14 years:
For the youngest children, the child health clinics and public health nurses are most important. The parents receive various integrated safety training programmes; the danger of accidents due to falling, choking, burns, poisoning, drowning, auto safety, etc. The health clinic will also inform parents about safety equipment and how one may obtain it. Day-care centres and schools are required to have extensive safety routines for avoiding accidents, both involving their own facilities and equipment, and with regards to educating the children, in general. Throughout a student’s educational career he/she is presented with traffic safety education designed for his/her level of understanding. First aid and life saving techniques are taught depending upon age level.
Fire drills are held each year throughout a student’s school career, and in day-care. Bullying is an important topic discussed. There are different programs at different schools.
First graders are given reflective vests (sponsored by local businesses) at the start of school, and they receive training on how to behave as pedestrians, on the roads to and from school. On roads considered particularly dangerous, the students are given free transportation to and from school during the winter months. Several schools have student crossing guards. Bicycling to school is limited to students of a certain age and helmets are required on the school grounds.

Youth 15-24 years:
There are different campaigns and programmes focusing on drug use and social maladjustment and the accidents that follow these kinds of problems. Alcohol-free arrangements and Youth clubs are arranged, and Night Hawks walk the streets on weekends. There is a special Health Clinic for youths 13-19 years of age. Street worker (“utekontakten”) is a youth worker that is available where the young people are, to find those with problems. There is also a Youth worker for students at the Senior High School and College level not living with their parents (because of too great a distance between the school and the student’s home).
The group between 15 and 24 are the most often represented group in traffic accidents. Different campaigns are directed to this age-group to avoid unwanted behaviour, and to give the youths more knowledge, understanding and driving proficiency. Programmes include training in light motorbike (elective course in 10th grade), and an elective course in traffic (theory for drivers license). There are Clubs and organisations that offer safe activities for youngsters with a particular affinity for speed.
Sports Clubs have strict regulations at their venues and accident prevention plans have been promoted, with a view to further development.

Adults 25-64 years:
Programmes include regular information through the local press regarding car-accidents in the municipality (notices and statistics, at least quarterly), safety information, and various articles on fire prevention (inspections of larger communal buildings, regulations on bonfires, etc., and electrical problems). The local press also includes a column about health safety.
There are occupational regulation programmes for the employed run by the Occupational Health Services. Clubs and organizations run different programmes for leisure time and set standards for accident prevention, both for organised and non-organised activities through information and influences.

Elderly 65+:
Information about risks of falling, and activities that can help the elderly to keep healthy and active, in general, are given in different arenas where these groups meet (tried at annual vaccination days for elderly people, part of programmes in ordinary club get-togethers for elderlies etc). Also, aids to prevent different kinds of accidents, like falling and fire, are listed and demonstrated. Health workers are trained to discover dangerous situations when they visit private homes. All accidents, in institutions and homes that are visited by health workers, are reported to the project, and statistics are worked out. The volunteer centre, with the help of various clubs and organizations, offers sand to the elderly, in the wintertime, to prevent slippery conditions outdoor.

In the following environments:
Home:
The district nurse gives information to the parents of new-born children, right from the start. ‘Investigations’ are carried out by school children on safety awareness in the home (was firstly done in Ålvik in 1996. And later conducted in all primary schools in 2000). They focus on fire safety, the danger of falling and other risk situations. The chimney sweep regularly inspects all the chimneys in the municipality. Different information is given through the local Newspaper.

Traffic:
Kvam municipality’s road-safety plan was introduced in 2000, and is, at this time, in the process of being evaluated and revamped for the next 4-year period. It contains special programmes for youths that have the highest risk for accidents in the municipality. The aim of reducing the traffic injuries by 25% from the period 1995-1999 to 2001-2004 was reached through a series of interactions between various groups such as schools, road department and others.

Occupational:
Official regulations are important in occupational safety work. Through legislation all companies are responsible of insuring a safe working environment for their workers (“HMS”, health, environment and safety act). The Occupational health services have programmes to discover and remove particular risks of accidents.

School:
Programmes for traffic safety, school accidents, first aid, fire, bullying.

Sports and leisure:
There are regulations regarding safety at all sports venues. The clubs have their own regulations, but work is planned through the local sports union, to create common safety routines for all the sporting clubs in the municipality. These would concern safety issues during transport to and from venues as well as training methods. “Traffic rules” for alpine skiing facilities have been made and are used.
Leisure time is often spent doing outdoor activities. There are different organizations, like the “Boat union” and the “Hunting and fishing union”, that work with this kind of activities and have programmes for ensuring safety.

Violence prevention: Several programmes to create a safe and healthy milieu, and to avoid accidents involving alcohol and violence directed to youngsters (see above).

Suicide prevention: General programmes to create a safe and healthy milieu and to avoid accidents involving alcohol and violence, as shown above, no special programs to prevent suicide.

Programmes aiming at ”High risk-groups”: Yes, several programmes to create a safe and healthy milieu and to avoid accidents involving alcohol and violence, mainly directed towards young people, see above.

Surveillance of injuries:
Helsebanken – Health centre in Kvam
Number per year: 550
Population base: 8400
Started year: 2002

Publications:

Report 2000: March 1, 2000, Norwegian Institute on Community Health: An evaluation of a safety-project at Bjølvefossen ASA (metallurgic industry) and the Ålvik community.

Traffic Safety Plan for Kvam 2001-2004, ”Kvam på trygg veg”

Handbook on environmental health protection in schools and day-care centres

J. Lund,*, J. Hovden: The influence of safety at work on safety at home and during leisure time

Kvam, Norway- Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network

Produced information material, pamphlets: Yes

Staff:

Mali Grete Aksnes,
Leader of the department for health and welfare
Grovagjelet 16
NO- 5600 Norheimsund
Norway

Kari Mostad
Profession: leader of the voluntary central,
Employment: part time period of 2003-2005
Sandvenvg. 48, box 117
NO –5601 Norheimsund

International commitments:

Study visits: Participation in Safe Community conferences: Drammen (1999), Harstad (2000), Årdal (2000), Klepp, Os, Vågå, Praha 2004,
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: none
Hosting ”Travelling Seminars”: none
Hosting study visit for friendship community; Marijampole Lithuania. Sept 2003. Focus on accident prevention and political election practices.