Thirty six (36) years ago the Consumer Product Safety Commission sponsored a program in alleviating the incidence and seriousness of bathtub accidents. Prior to June 4, 1975, over one hundred ten thousand (110,000) bathtub accidents happened in America every year. To address this problem, the Commission asked the help of Abt Associates Inc., a leading social research firm during that time. Together with assistance of Researchitects, an environmental research specialist, the Commission and Abt Associates studied the problem closely, identified the most crucial issues and proposed a solution to the problem.
The research proceeded in four phases. First is identifying and prioritizing the most important bathtub injuries causes. Second is categorizing the gathered data from phase 1 according to seventeen accident scenarios which represent commonly associated factors in accidents. Third phase involves providing strategies to prevent this seventeen accident scenarios and providing safety guidelines for newly made bathroom products as well as intervention strategies to currently existing bath products. Included in this phase is an economic analysis of this intervention strategies so that if implemented the social benefits will reach across the widest sector of the society. The fourth and final phase is information dissemination which includes manufacturers, consumers and government.
In this blog, I wish to present this study conducted in 1975, show the problem that time, the solutions proposed and implemented. Finally I want to assess the degree of accomplishment 36 years after.
A blog to reduce the severity and occurrence of bathtub and shower area injuries through internet dissemination of information.
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