Safe Community Hyvinkää

For further information contact:
Mr. Yrjö Heimonen
head of security of the town
The town of Hyvinkää
Kutomokatu 1
FI- 05800 Hyvinkää
Finland
E-mail: yrjo.heimonen@hyvinkaa.fi


The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

Public event on the annual accident prevention day in Hyvinkää

Children 0-14 years:
In 2002-2004, four schools in Hyvinkää participate in a nation-wide project for preventing school accidents co-ordinated by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES). A special project group has been appointed for the project. The objectives are as follows:

1. To develop collection of accident-related information. A system will be built so as to enable the participating schools to collect information about actual accidents and close calls.

2. To develop practices for threatening situations. Schools shall have clear rules about how to act in case of an accident. First aid and preliminary fire extinguishing abilities shall be assessed and problems connected with communications considered.

3. To improve safety awareness in the school community. The aim is to integrate safety promotion in the curriculum so as to make it a learning event and a part of the learning environment. While participating in the safety promotion work in their school community the students learn civics – they learn to promote safety in the community in a wider sense by interfering and finding out factors that threaten safety.

The need for national recommendations in issues like first aid abilities in schools will be assessed in connection with the preparation of the final report

In 2002, an extensive child political programme was approved by the town council, the objectives of which are based on the values featured in the municipal strategy. The first and foremost of these is spiritual, physical and social welfare. One of the top projects in the frame of the programme is the introduction of a check list for traffic safety to be incorporated in the town planning process. An advisory board for issues concerning children and youngsters has been appointed to monitor and develop the programme.

On the national accident prevention day, 13th June 2003, an event will be arranged around the theme traffic safety and traffic education for children.

Youth 15-24 years:
Hyvinkää Vocational Institute is one of the schools participating in the national project for preventing school accidents. Collaborating with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (Työterveyslaitos) they are developing practices for accident prevention suited for vocational institutes. The development project comprises both studies in the institute and the practical training connected with vocational education.

Adults 25-64 years:
To change the attitudes of the townspeople, educational material on accident prevention will be provided in various public events, the most important of which is the annual accident prevention day. The themes of the day vary according to season. In the summer, focus is perhaps on drowning accidents, bicycle safety, summer house security etc. In the autumn and winter, appropriate themes are, for instance, illumination, fire safety, slippery streets and weather circumstances. Around the 2002 accident prevention day in December, 4,000 reflectors were handed out to the employees and co-partners of the town.

One form of activity is participation in local exhibitions – often together with the police, the emergency services and the Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland. Computer-based surveys about subjects relating to accident prevention are made in connection with exhibitions. According to the latest results, almost 90 per cent of the respondents thought that intensified municipal accident prevention is necessary.

The local newspaper has representation in the organisation of the project "Safe in Hyvinkää 24 hours a day" and runs, almost weekly, articles on safety issues.

Traffic safety campaigns for both motorists and cyclists/pedestrians are organised on an annual basis. There is also an award for the promotion of traffic safety.

In 2002, a survey of the availability of services for various groups with physical handicaps was made in co-operation with the local polytechnic. Mainly concerning public services and commercial targets in the town centre, the survey will be published both in printed form and on the web site of the town.

A particular characteristic of the programme in Hyvinkää is the aspiration to incorporate accident prevention into normal municipal activities. To emphasise this goal, the town executive board has obliged all municipal committees to pay attention to accident prevention in their respective branches and record their intentions in their annual plans of action.

The elderly 65+ years:
In 2001--2002, nine fitness courses for elderly drivers were organised by the traffic safety project group. There were 17--30 participants, all over 64 years of age, on each course. The subjects taken up are traffic hazards and appropriate behaviour in traffic from the point of view of the aged population. These courses have been very popular and will be arranged in the future as well.

In 1999–2000 a regional analysis of accident risks in the Kehrääjänkatu residential area, which belongs to the Foundation for Housing for the Aged, was made by the project group for the elderly and the disabled in co-operation with the local polytechnic. Matters requiring improvement were brought up, and a few improvements have already been made.

A campaign for clearing snow and sanding ice on streets, walkways and yards is organised by the project group for the elderly and the disabled every year, and the best housing associations and employees are rewarded.

On the initiative of the project group for the elderly and the disabled, useful aids for senior citizens have been shown in connection with exhibitions, and special showings have been arranged for those living in service flats.

At the following environments:

Home:

Traffic:
The project group for traffic safety participates in a joint project among four municipalities – the preparation of a regional traffic safety plan. The plan will be completed in 2003.

Occupational:
The three largest industrial plants based in Hyvinkää have their representatives in the organisation of the project "Safe in Hyvinkää 24 hours a day". Campaigns on various themes, for instance the Healthy Back campaign and the Well-Being at Work campaign, have been organised in co-operation with national partners. Furthermore, pedestrian and bicycle road safety has been improved in the vicinity of the works of Kone Oy and elsewhere in accordance with suggestions received from townspeople.

School: See School accident prevention project above.

Sports:

Leisure:

Violence prevention:
A joint project of the town of Hyvinkää, the police department of Hyvinkää and the Police College of Finland, a survey of welfare and safety in the living environment was undertaken in 2001. A safety plan for the town of Hyvinkää, completed on the basis of this survey, was approved by the town council in January 2003. The implementation of the plan has been initiated

Suicide prevention:
An extensive suicide prevention programme for the town of Hyvinkää was finished in 1996, and a group was set up by the Mayor to monitor its implementation. The establishment of Mobile, a crisis centre formed by combining a former support centre and a crisis group maintained by the municipality, is the most significant achievement so far. An all-day/all-evening service open on weekends and a few weekdays, Mobile strives to help by phone and personal contact, as well as through referrals to further treatment and "mobile" field work.

Programmes aiming at "High risk-groups":
A campaign for the safe use of fireworks was organised at the turn of the millennium. The campaign targeted schoolchildren and their families as well as buyers of fireworks, who were approached through vendors. No serious accidents connected with fireworks were reported. Since then, a similar campaign has been organised before each New Year.

Surveillance of injuries:
Hyvinkää health centre, Hyvinkää district general hospital
Numbers per year: about 500
Population base: 43,000
Started year:

Publications:

Hyvinkää, Finland - Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network

Produced information material, pamphlets:
The following publications have been given out in English:

– A description of accident prevention work in Hyvinkää in the light of the criteria made out for the network of Safe Communities

– Abstract of the publication Accident prevention experiment in Hyvinkää 1998–2000

– Evaluation of the accident prevention experiment "Safe in Hyvinkää 24 hours a day" by Project Manager Anne Lounamaa, National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES), Planner Marita Koivukoski, Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland (Liikenneturva), and Research Engineer Juha Merjama, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (Työterveyslaitos)

– Abstract of the report on the fireworks campaign

– Abstract of the report of injury prevention project in Kehrääjänkatu residential area

– Abstract of the survey of welfare and safety in the living environment in Hyvinkää

In addition, there is Finnish material

Staff

The leaders: chairman of the task force Ismo Laatta, secretary of the advisory committee and the task force Martti Valta, chairman of the advisory committee, chairman of the town executive board Tuula Vanhatalo and member of advisory committee, mayor Tauno Kirves

Number: 2
Professions:part-time: Labour protection delegate, chairman of the task force
part-time: Deputy town clerk, secretary of the advisory committee and the task force
Permanent: Yes
Organization: The town of Hyvinkää
Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
General public health/health promotion group: Yes

International commitments:
Study visits: Motala 2000, Nacka 2000
Participation in Safe Community conferences: Vejle, Denmark 2001
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: Not yet.
Hosting "Travelling Seminars": Not yet

Other: The town of Hyvinkää has invited representatives of its twin cities Hersfeld-Rotenburg (Germany) and Kecskemét (Hungary) to participate, as observers, in the 5th Nordic Safe Community Conference, which will be held 26-29 August 2003 in Helsinki, and to acquaint themselves with the project "Safe in Hyvinkää 24 hours a day" in Hyvinkää.