Housing for Health – the guide
  • Safety
    Electrical Safety

    Electrical Safety

    • A1.1 Functioning Safety switches
    • A1.2 Electrical earth connection
    • A1.3 Cabling and wiring
    • A1.4 Power points, lights and other fittings
    Gas Safety

    Gas Safety

    • A2.1 Gas Safety
    Fire Safety

    Fire Safety

    • A3.1 Fire prevention
    • A3.2 Fire and smoke detection
    • A3.3 Escape in the event of fire
    Structural Safety

    Structural Safety

    • A4.1 Structural safety
  • Health & Housing
    Washing People

    Washing People

    • B1.1 Wet area design
    • B1.2 Hot water
    • B1.3 Water outlets, valves & taps
    • B1.4 Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs
    • B1.5 Showers
    • B1.6 Wet area floor drainage (bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry)
    • B1.7 Turning the water off to allow plumbing maintenance
    Washing clothes and bedding

    Washing clothes and bedding

    • B2.1 Laundry design
    • B2.2 Drying clothes and bedding
    Removing waste water safely

    Removing waste water safely

    • B3.1 Flush toilets
    • B3.2 House drains
    • B3.3 Septic tanks, common effluent drains and on-site effluent disposal systems
    • B3.4 Aerated waste water treatment systems

    • B3.5 Dry toilets
    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    • B4.1 Quality of drinking water
    • B4.2 Food storage
    • B4.3 Preparing food – sinks and benches
    • B4.4 Cooking
    • B4.5 General issues for kitchen design
    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    • B5.1 Performance of health hardware in households with more people
    • B5.2 Developing the edges of the house and the yard
    • B5.3 Storage areas in the house
    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    • B6.1 Animals: Dogs, cats and others
    • B6.2 Animals: rats, mice, snakes and birds
    • B6.3 Insects: ants and cockroaches
    • B6.4 Insects: mosquitoes and flies
    • B6.5 Insects: Dust mites
    • B6.6 Insects: termites
    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    • B7.1 Reducing the health impacts of dust
    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    • B8.1 Human comfort and climate
    • B8.2 Passive design in tropical zones
    • B8.3 Passive design for houses in arid and temperate climates
    • B8.4 Active cooling of houses
    • B8.5 Active heating of houses
    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    • B9.1 Hazardous materials
    • B9.2 Personal security
    • B9.3 Preventing slips, trips and falls
    • B9.4 Preventing cuts and abrasions
    • B9.5 Preventing burns
  • Healthy Communities
    Water

    Water

    • C1.1 Water quantity and treatment systems
    • C1.2 Water quantity and demand management
    • C1.3 Rainwater, stormwater and recycled water for landscaping
    Energy

    Energy

    • C2.1 Electricity
    • C2.2 Gas
    Waste Water

    Waste Water

    • C3.1 Waste water
    Household rubbish disposal

    Household rubbish disposal

    • C4.1 Household rubbish disposal
    Community planning

    Community planning

    Landscaping

    Landscaping

    • C6.1 Landscaping
    Communications

    Communications

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Home > Health & Housing > Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma) > Personal security

B9.2 Personal security

Personal security involves the design of individual houses and community planning. Some residents want a house design that allows them to watch the street and all entries to their house and yard and view children’s play areas from the living area.  Gates and security screen doors can help residents to control who enters their living area and are generally requested by residents to keep their family and possessions safe.

In many Indigenous communities the transition from public to private space occurs at the front gate or at the verandah steps rather than at the front door. This is where residents will want control over who enters their place.  This point may vary between communities and can be determined by watching how community members approach a house. Observe whether visitors:

  • sit out the front in the car and sound the horn
  • stand at the gate and shout or
  •  walk up to the verandah and then call out.

In households that combine many families, individuals may want to be able secure themselves and their possessions in bedrooms. Consider providing bedroom locks at the design stage to reduce the use of padlocks and bolts on doors as these may prevent escape from the house in the event of a fire.

Real world examples of problems

  • B9.2 001 No sharp objects in the ground
  • B9.2 003 No fences and gates provided
  • B9.2 004 No fences and gates provided
  • B9.2 005 Yard areas need to be free of hazards

Design and Specification

Ensure

  • B9.2 .1.

    that fences and gates are provided

  • B9.2 .2.

    that lockable security screens are fitted to all external doors and that locks can be easily opened from the inside

  • B9.2 .3.

    that external lights are located and installed to allow residents to view house entry points and the yard area.

Consider

  • planning the house so that the entry to the house and children’s play areas can be viewed from living areas in the house
  • providing fences or balustrades and gates to verandahs
  • fitting security screens to all windows with emergency release mechanisms
  • designing a toilet and bathroom for visitor use
  • locating the bedroom doors off the living areas
  • fitting locks that can be opened from the inside to each bedroom door
  • using some obscure glazing materials in bedroom windows

Real world examples of Solutions

  • B9.2 002 Fences and gates provided
  • B9.2 006 Steps and ramps are weather protected and non slip

Quality control

  • fences and gates have been installed and are secure and working
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • security screens have been installed to all external doors and locks can be operated from inside without a key
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • external lights have been specified and are working
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • security screens have been fitted to windows if specified, including an emergency escape screen fitted to at least one window in each bedroom
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • the house keys have been clearly labelled and provided to the resident or housing provider.
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
    TRADE TEST

Maintenance

As part of cyclical maintenance:

  • check and maintain all fences and gates
    info-icon
    Carpenter, Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • replace faulty bulbs in external lights, and ensure fittings protect the bulb or tube from insects
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    3 Months
  • replace damaged security screens on external doors and windows
    info-icon
    Carpenter, Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • keep bushes and shrubs trimmed to reduce hiding places for intruders.
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)
    • B9.1 Hazardous materials
    • B9.2 Personal security
    • B9.3 Preventing slips, trips and falls
    • B9.4 Preventing cuts and abrasions
    • B9.5 Preventing burns

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