ABSTRACT
Unintentional home injuries are a serious public health and safety problem worldwide. Legislation aims to protect the health and safety of individuals within their home through the application of national standards, codes and Building Regulations. Forty face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted within the participant’s home to collect information on the personal experiences of individuals inhabiting a new-build home. The behaviours and problems identified arose as a direct result of the occupant’s interaction with the features and systems within their home, and are amenable to prevention through alternative design. The findings reported are based on self-report data gathered during retrospective interviews with occupiers and the limitations of this methodology should be acknowledged. The findings should be of interest to those responsible for the development of building standards, procedures and guidelines, informing them of the impact of occupier behaviour.
