Safe Community Töreboda

Country: Sweden
Number of inhabitants 2004: 9,400
Programme started year: 2002
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year : 2005
Infoaddress for the program: www.toreboda.se

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:
For the age group
Children 0-14 years:
Accident check lists, “prescriptions” on bike helmets. Broshures and films on accident prevention, displays of safety articles, and meetings and support at the family center.
Preschoolers always using reflector vests at excursions. Mandatory wearing of helmet when sledding/skating at school. Adult bus attendants and recess attendants. Evacuation drills on school buses. Swimming instruction for all students. Annual ”Safety Day” for fifth-graders, dealing with issues on traffic, fire, medical care, use of helmets, and how not to get lost in the forest. “Dare to see/care” – a study circle for parents of sixth-graders.

Youth 15-24 years: Questionnaires on student influence, attitudes, bullying, and scary places. Education on the dangers of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Instruction in first aid and fire protection. Youth guidance center with a dietician and a dental hygienist. A drug-free function at graduation. ”Show ID now” campaign geared towards shop-owners not to sell alcohol or tobacco to youths under the age of 18.

Adults 25-64 years:
An extensive out-patient treatment program for persons with substance abuse problems.

Elderly 65+ years:

‘Security ringing’. Falls incident and near-accident reporting. Regular safety rounds. Safety bags and information on safety. Information on the importance of diet and physical activity in prevention of falls accidents and osteoporosis. Friendship service.

At the following environments:

Home:
Neighbourhood watch groups. Free sand for the elderly. Meetings, information leaflets, and lectures for residents in safety measures. Service apartments are inspected regarding ventilation, electricity, fire, and elevators. A plan of action on domestic violence.

Traffic:

Speed bumps and traffic hinderance. Foot and bike paths in residential areas. Annual surveys of streets making sure of good visibility at intersections. Surveys on seat belt use. In the springtime a campaign to increase the use of bike helmets among the residents of the community, and in the autumn a “Be seen-campaign” to make the residents of the community use reflectors and bicycle lights, arranged in cooperation with bicycle dealers in town. Traffic safety classes for people studying Swedish for Immigrants (SFI).

Occupational: Identification and documentation of hazardous work situations. Safety rounds. Skidpan driving practice with a mini-bus for school staff. Implementation of FR 2000 at companies, based on ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Restaurateur training in handling of alcohol in restaurants. Night-time surveillance of industrial area.

School:

Preschools are accident-proofed. Injury registration. First aid instruction for school staff. Annual safety rounds of schools. Annual inspection of all gymnasiums. One school fully adapted for the disabled. Annual fire and evacuation drills. Anti-bullying teams at all schools. Work on fundamental values. The course ‘Work Evironment and Safety’ in high school.

Sports: Inspection and safety rounds. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation instruction. Regular education about sports injuries and self-help. Policy on how to take care of an injured person. Policy on how to handle transportation to and from other arenas.

A community coordinator for alcohol and drug use prevention. Implementation of a special hazard phone line.

Violence prevention
Töreboda municipality supports women’s and men’s crisis centers in neighbouring towns. Töreboda also partakes in the project “A way out” which is a collaboration between the municipalities in former Skaraborg, the Region of Västra Götaland, the Correctional System, the office of the Public Prosecutor, and the Police Authorities.
A plan of action on domestic violence describes how the Social Services are to act upon violence in close relationships.

Programs aiming at ”High risk-groups”:
Injury and accident prevention work carried on at the Child Welfare Center. Injury registration by the National Dental Health Service and the medical care services. The “Fröet” project – treatment efforts for youths (16 – 25) in a risk zone and for the ones already having a problem with substance abuse.

Surveillance of injuries:
Comprehensive injury registration has been carried on at Health Care Centers, Dental Care Clinics, after-hour emergency rooms, and emergency wards in Skaraborg. Statistics includes number of injuries, gender, age group, injury location, situations, and injury mechanisms. Since 2001 statistics are presented from the perspective of a life cycle. All falls incidents among the elderly are registered in a divergency report.
Numbers per year: Injury cases in 2002 totalled 1285.
Ages 0-19: 205 cases/1000 inhabitants. 39.5% of the total cases of injury.
Ages 65+: 97 cases/1000 inhabitant. 14.2% of the total cases of injury.
61 of the cases of injury were in transportation areas. 4.7% of all registered injuries.
139 of the cases of injury took place in sports facilities. 10.8% out of all injury cases.
Started year: 1998

Publications

• Download the application report:

  Töreboda, Sweden - Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network. English.

  in Swedish

Staff

Staff
Number: 14
Professions, full-time and permanent: public health coordinator

Organization:
A politically combined Public Health Council placed directly under the Municipal Executive Board The intersectoral leadership group for A Safe Community is subordinated to the local Public Health Council, being right beside the other groups working with health issues of youths and children, health issues of the elderly and the disabled, and crime prevention.
Specific intersectoral leadership group:
Kent Carlsson, local enterprise
Kennet Edvinsson, the Police Force
Stefan Elofsson, Social Services
Roger Ewaldsson, Public Works Department
Monica Hävner, Child and Education Department
Henrik Jansson, Culture and Recreation Department
Ann–Christine Jonsson, Sötåsen School of Natural Resource
Monica Kihlström, Social Services (IFO)
Barbro Klingstedt, Primary Care Services
Christer Olsson, the Rescue Services Agency
Bo Stenemar, Public Works Department
Hans Thorsell, Culture and Recreation Department
Ralf Vestman, Environment and Housing Department
Monica Engström. Public Health Coordinator

General public health/health promotion group: The Public Health Council is made up of three politicians and three officials from the Local Authority; two politicians and one official from the Region of Västra Götaland; one employee from the Police Force; and one employee from the Primary Health Care Services.

International commitments:
Study visits: Representatives from Katrineholm municipality have visited Töreboda to supply knowledge and information from an already designated community. A representative from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency in Karlstad also participated.
Participation in Safe Community conferences: Participation in international conferenses and workshops in Stockholm, Skövde, and Prag.
Hosting of a seminar in the spring of 2005 on the subject “A Safer Work Environment in Agriculture”, with participants from six different countries.

For further information contact:

Pia Gustavsson
Public Health Planner
Public Health Unit in Töreboda
Box 34
SE- 545 21 Töreboda
Sweden
Phone: +46-506-182 55
Fax:+46-506-162 92
E-mail: pia.gustavsson@toreboda.se