Home, sport and leisure safety

More Victorians die from injuries suffered in home, sport and leisure settings each year than do on our states roads. And we are nearly four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for injuries sustained in home and sports activities than for transport related incidents - in fact, more than 37,000 Victorians, on average, require hospital admission each year because of injuries they suffered while at home or at play.

Since the 1980s, Monash has recognised the need to bring the rigours of scientific analysis and research into our domestic and recreational settings to aid the prevention of serious injury.

This research has had a direct impact on the lives of many Australians.

It has helped reduce the incidents of drowning in residential swimming pools, has shaped and monitored smoke detector regulations, and led to the implementation of best practice falls prevention programs for older people. Our product safety injury surveillance and research initiatives have led to stringent regulations for child resistant cigarette lighters and packaging of pharmaceutical and household chemicals and, most recently, to an international agreement to revise the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard to reduce the surface temperature of oven doors to protect children from contact burns.

Building from these significant achievements, we have shaped our future research focus around three key areas of injury analysis and prevention:

The Falls Prevention Research Unit - a longstanding Monash research activity that has achieved international recognition for its leadership in preventing falls among older people.

The Australian Centre for Research into Sports Injury and its Prevention - research covering the spectrum of injury suffered during all forms of sport and physical activity by everyone from elite athletes to community and leisure participants.

The Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit - the state's peak agency for the analysis, interpretation and dissemination of Victorian data on injury deaths, hospital admissions and emergency department presentations for government, health and safety bodies, business and industry, media, research groups and the community.