Safe Community

Name of the Community: Tynset Municipality
Country: Norway
Number of inhabitants: 5,440
Programme started year: Late 1998
International Safe Communities Network Membership:
Designation year: Not yet
Info address on www for the Programme: www.tynset.kommune.no(See “Prosjekter og planer”)

Full Appliction report: http://www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/applicatinreports/Tynset2006.pdf:

For further information contact:
Lorns Olav Skjemstad
Tynset kommune (Tynset Municipality)
Tynset Rådhus
NO-2500 Tynset
Norway
Phone: +4762485215
Fax: +4762485211
E-mail: lorns.skjemstad@tynset.kommune.no
Info address on www for the institution (or community as a whole): http://www.tynset.kommune.no

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

For the age groups:

Children 0-14 years:


The Public Health Centre of Tynset Municipality, including Health Service in Schools, is together with other authorities of the community responsible for the prevention of accidents and injuries that can harm children and young people. In accident prevention a balance must be kept between the need of physical activity on the one hand, and protection from injury on the other:

• Accident prevention takes place on several levels at the same time.
• The Health Centre has produced brochures and checklist for use during home visits and interviews regarding the various age groups.
• The Health Centre’s office works to be an example in the use of safety equipment, child safety in vehicles, cycling and training in traffic culture.
• Chapter 9a in the national Education Legislation, and the Regulations for Environmental Health Protection for Schools and Nursery Schools fulfil the aspects of accident prevention so long as they are completely adhered to on all points.
  

Youth 15-24 years:

The Public Health Centre of Tynset Municipality, including Health Service in Schools, together with other authorities of the community, is also responsible for the prevention of accidents and injuries in this age group, in the same way as mentioned above. In addition the Health Service offers an individual help and advice service for youth weekly in their leisure time throughout the year. In the district of Tynset there are many voluntary leisure organisations which offer healthy activities for youth systematically, also promoting a positive attitude to preventing accidents; among them about 20 sports organisations. The Municipality runs Rambu Fritidsklubb, a leisure club especially for youth, smoke and alcohol free.

Adults 25-64 years:
8-10 times a year the administration of Tynset Municipality distributes an information letter, named Infoblad, to all the inhabitants of the community. In these letters the responsibility for every person to think and act accident-preventively is emphasised. It is also emphasised that it is very important for all employers and employees to follow the national Workplace Legislation and the regulations for internal control named the Health, Environmental and Security Regulations (HMS). In the same way it is emphasised how absolutely essential it is for the farmers, farm workers and forest workers to follow the Agricultural Quality Control Systems (KSL) – regulations worked out by the agricultural organisations themselves. The chief safety representative for the employees in Tynset Municipality will be responsible for following up the above-mentioned legislation and regulations.

Elderly 65+ years:
Single day courses for all the leaders and employees at the Home Based Care Department and the Nursing Home have been arranged, concerning prevention of accidents among the elderly. Basic for all leaders and employees in the municipality who give help and service to the inhabitants are the above-mentioned regulations for internal control. These regulations will also concern, and be accident preventive for, the elderly in institutions. See below regarding fire prevention among the elderly and accident prevention from outdoor falls on icy, snowy and slippery pavements.

At the following environments:

Home:
As mentioned above, the Public Health Centre of Tynset Municipality works very closely with homes and is responsible for the prevention of accidents and injuries which can harm children and young people. Tynset Municipality has a seriously active Fire Prevention Department. The Department co-operates with each district’s chimney-sweeping service. The department is running a 4-year project named “Risk-based Control and Advice in Private Housing”. The Department co-operates with voluntary pensioners’ organisations among others. This project is considered to be very important in preventing fire accidents among the elderly. In Tynset Municipality the Pensioners’ Associations are also engaged in distributing buckets of sand every autumn to the elderly, in order to prevent accidental falls in icy and slippery conditions.

Traffic:
The Traffic Safety Committee, which is directly responsible to the local council, has existed since 1992. The committee's main function is to initiate traffic safety measures. The committee's most important tool is updating and following up the Traffic Safety Plan which was passed by the local council in 1992. The plan is inspected and adjusted every year, and must be revised and ratified by the council every fourth year. The Technical Department of the local authority is responsible for following up the plan with the goal that; “All the inhabitants shall have the experience of safety when in traffic”.
Three areas are covered by the Traffic Safety Plan:
1. Physical safety in traffic.
2. Information, education, and attitude orientation.
3. Control functions.

Arranger of a national traffic safety conference, March 2007, see below under National and international commitments.

School:
See above under “Children” and “Youth”
In schools and nursery schools The Health Service works together with the teachers and the local authority’s spokesperson for children to follow up the above-mentioned chapter 9a in the Education Legislation and the accident prevention regulations, and to develop the pupils’ practical understanding of safety. During recent years an anti-mobbing campaign has been worked out in the schools and nursery schools.

Sports and other leisure activities:

Some voluntary leisure-organisations work systematically to promote a positive attitude to prevent accidents. A meeting, with accident preventive attitude as theme, is arranged every third or fourth year for all these voluntary organisations with accident-risk activities. Such a meeting was arranged in the years 2003 and 2006. Accident prevention is incorporated in the Municipal Plan for Sport and Other Physical Activities.

Violence prevention:
Tynset Municipality has engaged a professional person to coordinate different precautions against intoxication, violence and vandalism among youth. The work is a dual-effort of the local police and a municipally appointed committee. Night raven groups are organised among the parents on nights that are expected to be troublesome.

Suicide prevention:
As mentioned above the municipal Health Service offers individual help and advice for youth at schools and weekly, in their leisure time, throughout most of the year. An anti-mobbing campaign has been worked out in the municipal schools. In addition, “Brobyggeren” (The Bridge Builder), a special programme for youth who need support, has been run in recent years by the Pyschiatric Service, in co-operation with the municipal Department of Culture.

Programs aiming at ”High risk groups”:
During the project period for the safe community work in Tynset Municipality the Cross Sectorial Working Group appointed the following groups as especially vulnerable:
Children at the kinder gardens, children and youth at the schools, farmers and other agricultural workers, and the elderly groups. National and local accident statistics show that children are more vulnerable at home than at schools and kinder gardens, and youth are more vulnerable in leisure time during sport activities and in traffic than at school. During the plan period for the safe community work in Tynset Municipality we therefore have to put more emphasis on accident prevention directed towards children and youth in their leisure time.

Surveillance of injuries: Tynset Health Centre
Started year: 1997
Numbers per year: Highest 1998 -347. Lowest 2003 - 72 .
Population base: approx. 5440 inhabitants

Information material, pamphlets produced: Yes

Staff

Now, as in the plan period, the Health Information Committee, with a secretary from the municipal administration, consists of the cross sectorial working group:
Number: 7 persons
Professional status: part time
Permanent: 4 persons
Temporary: 3 persons

Organisation:
Political leadership – The Municipal Cabinet
Administrative leadership – The Executive Officer
Professional leadership – the professional members of The Health Information Committee and the secretary

Specific intersectorial leadership group:
Yes, during the project period. Now, in the plan period the intersectorial Health Information Committee leads the municipal Safe Community work.

General public health promotion group: The Health Information Committee.

National and international commitments:
Study visits: Not yet
Participation in Safe Community conferences in Norway: Oslo, Harstad, Røros, Klepp, Vågå, and the 14th International Safe Community Conference in Bergen 2005.
Hosting Safe Community Conferences:
Hosted together with Alvdal Municipality a National Traffic Safety Conference within the frame of Safe Community, March 2007. Approx. 70 participants.