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Name of the Community: Os kommune
Country: Norway
Number of inhabitants: 2150
Programme started year: 1992
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year : 2000
Info address on www for the Programme: www.oz-printmedia.no/sc/
The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:
For the age group
Children 0-14 years:
The school-nurse and the children’s nurse are important in this field. The
children’s nurse is the first point of contact when the newly born arrive home from
the hospital, and is the first instance in which accident prevention can be taught.
A specialised working group is established to work to reduce
school related accidents. Every school and nursery in the municipality has been evaluated
in terms of the new regulation for safety in schools and nurseries. By the year 2000,
every school and nursery shall have an internal control and safety procedure. The
municipality’s road-safety plan have been established by the general administration,
the police and the road maintenance network.
Youth 15-24 years:
In the autumn of 1998 a special health service was created for youth. The interest for
the project was limited and declining. The main theme of this area is youth problems in
general. An emphasis has been placed on the relation between youth and alcohol and
especially alcohol related violence and accidents. The Health-Information-Council is
important in this area and has supported the project financially and by organising
alcohol-free event. The basis for this has been a survey conducted in the autumn 1999,
where the youth answered a questionnaire where the emphasis was on alcohol and
youth’s relation to alcohol and other connected problems. We hope that the results of
the survey will assist in developing accident prevention plans for the youth.
Sports clubs are facing stricter regulations on safety at their
venues and accident prevention plans have been promoted with a view to further
development. Training methods and protection in sports has also been targeted in order to
prevent accidents. There is an ongoing campaign to persuade people to use helmets while
cycling or downhill-skiing. The skiing slopes have posters suggesting the benefits of
using a helmet.
Adults 25-64 years:
The work related accidents are presented to the industry at information meetings with
an emphasis on accident prevention. The registration of work related accidents include
notes from the events surrounding the accident so that the firm can assess their accident
prevention plans. As an example, eye injuries are usually suffered due to a lack of use of
protective glasses. A working group has been established to promote cooperation between
the health service, the industry’s health service and the industry itself. This group
enables the industry to register accidents occurring in their work environment end hence
ensures the ingoing process of accident prevention in industry.
The health services in the municipalities Os, Tolga and Tynset,
its two neighbouring municipalities, participated in 1992-95 in a study examining
accidents occurring in agriculture. The cooperation among the different agricultural
organisations and the health services has led to several actions taken to prevent
accidents in this sector. A video informing on procedures to reduce accidents has been
recorded and is sold all over Norway. It promotes safety while handling livestock and is a
direct result of the accident registration project of 1992-95, which shows that livestock
often is a direct cause of agricultural accidents.
The municipality’s road-safety plan was introduced in 1998
and was evaluated the autumn 1999 (attachment 2). The work has included road-safety for
children. An emphasis has been placed on safety for the six-year-olds as they are
increasingly using the roads as a result of the lowered school starting age. Every
six-year-old has received cycling helmets and light reflectors.
Os municipality undertook a survey in 1992 where youth were
questioned about the influence of alcohol (Report is ready). This survey was a
collaboration between the local health service and the county administration. A new survey
has been commissioned in 1999 to see if the actions taken as a result of the earlier
survey has influenced alcohol related habits.
Elderly 65+ years:
Os municipality introduced in 1993 a project to reduce the use of addictive medication
prescribed by the doctors. Together with Røros and Holtålen municipalities this project
sought to cut the use of these medicines. This project led to a reduction of 40 percent in
the use of addictive medication, which is still at the achieved low level. This is related
to accident prevention as several studies relate accidents to use of addictive medication.
This relation cannot be shown in the above project, as the registration procedures were
not ready at the time. Important actors in accident prevention among the elderly are the
home-visiting-nurses and related volunteers or helpers.
The Red Cross has trained the elderly and the nurses in accident
prevention in the household. The home-visiting-nurses should register all accident related
places in the household and find solutions in order to decrease the risk of an accident.
In the old-peoples home several talks have been held to inform about the project and to
increase awareness. This has resulting in the earlier mentioned sanding project. The
municipality is responsible for sanding public areas while shops are recommended to do the
same. These actions are welcome additions to the community and show the efforts made by
the community as a whole.
At the following environments:
Home: Action groups are making action plans for the elderly people. This is run by the
action group and the council for the elderly. District nurses takes care of the accident
prevention from the first contact with the newborn child.
Traffic: Os Municipality’s road-safety paln was
introduced in 1998 and takes care of all the traffic problems in the municipality. There
are special programs for the childrens.
Occupational: The cooperation among the different
agricultural organisations and the health services has led to several actions taken to
prevent accidents in this sector. A video informing on procedures to reduce accidents has
been recorded and is sold all over Norway. It promotes safety while handling livestock and
is a direct result of the accident registration project of 1992-95, which shows that
livestock often is a direct cause of agricultural accidents.
The work related accidents are presented to the industry at
information meetings with an emphasis on accident prevention. The registration of work
related accidents include notes from the events surrounding the accident so that the firm
can assess their accident prevention plans. As an example, eye injuries are usually
suffered due to a lack of use of protective glasses. A working group has been established
to promote cooperation between the health service, the industry’s health service and
the industry itself. This group enables the industry to register accidents occurring in
their work environment end hence ensures the ingoing process of accident prevention in
industry.
School: See the road –safety programme
above. The school programme also includes different action plans for each school-level.
Sports and leisure: Sports clubs are facing
stricter regulations on safety at their venues and accident prevention plans have been
promoted with a view to further development. Training methods and protection in sports has
also been targeted in order to prevent accidents. There is an ongoing campaign to persuade
people to use helmets while cycling or downhill-skiing. The skiing slopes have posters
suggesting the benefits of using a helmet.
Other: Because of the results from the
registration of accidents we focused on agricultural accidents. We are now planning a Pan
–Europeans study of agricultural accidents. This is run by The Institute of Rural
Health in Wales.
"Accidents" (non-intentional injuries) in the
following injury areas:
Violence prevention (intentional injuries): Special programs
to prevent alcohol related violence and injuries
Suicide prevention (self-inflected injuries): Special
programs to prevent alcohol related violence and injuries.
Programs aiming at "High risk-groups": Yes,
Surveillance of injuries: Os Health Centre.
Numbers per year: 185
Population base: 2150 inhabitants
Started year: 1992
Publications:
1. Leet T., Lium E. og Reiling J. ITF 209 /93 The project in Nord Østerdal concering
accidents in farms
2. Leet T., Lium E. og Reiling J. ITF 6 /94 Recording farming accidents.
3. Lund J, Borgan J-K, Hovden J, Høyland T E, Tellnes G, Vaaje, T og Hamre, B: SYNAPS -
system concerning National statistics for persons 101 s. Skadeforebyggende forum, Oslo
1991.
4. Lund H. og Lium E. Journal of The Norwegian Medical Assosiation 27/ 1997: Recording
accidents in Primary Health care5. Folkehelsa (Department of Public Health): Personal
accidents in regions and municipalities. October 1998.
Produced information material, pamphlets: Yes
Staff Integrated in the Os Municipality administration and
the action groups. Photo of leader(s):
Number: Five
Professions: part-time or full-time: part time
Permanent: Yes
Organization: Board administrated by the District Medical Officer
Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
General public health/health promotion group: Yes
International commitments: With The Institute of Rural
Health, Wales
Study visits: Many, includes Castlemilk in Glasgow,
Institute of Rural Health in Wales.
Participation in Safe Community conferences: Årdal ,
Norway, Sirdal
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: Hosting
"Travelling Seminars": Not yet
Other: Arranging a work-shop of accident
prevention in Os, Special cooperation with The Municipality of Anyksei in Lituenia,
sharing experiences and supervice in recording of accidents.
For further information contact:
Dr Helge Lund
Os Health Centre
NO- 2550 Os, Norway
Phone:+47 62470355
Fax: +47 62470359
 helge.lund@os.kommune.no
______________________________________
Download the application report:
 Os, Norway-
Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network
Copyright © 1999-2000 Dept. of Public Health Sciences.
Updated by  Moa
Sundström, 2003-02-05 10:01.
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