This year’s Fall Prevention Awareness Week demonstrated how far the UK has come in tackling deaths and severe injuries caused by falls.

Most hearteningly, it showed that organisations and the wider public are beginning to change from the belief that falls are just an inevitable part of ageing, but rather a serious – and often deadly – health risk.

However, as the Falls Prevention Awareness Week theme ‘From Awareness To Action’ illustrates, it is practical evidence-based interventions that are most needed to tackle the rising crisis in deaths from falls, which have increased by 90 per cent over 10 years. Accidental falls also account for over 400,000 A&E admissions, putting immense pressure on the NHS and costing over £4 billion every year.

Practical evidence-based interventions are exactly what RoSPA provides through our Fall Fighter campaign and online Falls Prevention hub. Designed in collaboration with housing providers and healthcare experts, these free resources enable individuals at particular risk, and the professionals or family and friends who may be caring for them, to reduce the likelihood of a serious fall at home.

Crucially, while the resources contain plenty of advice on eliminating trip hazards in the home, Fall Fighter focuses on the person themselves, as opposed to just the environment around them. For example, physical deconditioning caused by a sedentary lifestyle – exacerbated by periods of inactivity as seen during the COVID lockdown – is a major risk factor for falls. The Falls Management Exercise (FaME) 24-week programme showed 20-30 per cent of older adult falls could be prevented by improving strength and balance, and our resources contain advice for simple exercises to improve strength and balance.

Workplace falls

However, while falls account for four out of five hospital admissions for people over 65, and over 50 per cent of falls happen at home, there are valuable lessons for other groups in other places too. Falls from height are the biggest single cause of deaths in the workplace, so the concept of putting people at the centre of falls prevention has particular importance for occupational safety and health (OSH) strategies, especially as an ageing workforce brings increased levels of risk. Nor are those risks just to do with physical strength or frailty – mental health issues caused by workplace stress or the side-effects of prescription medication can also make a severe fall more likely.

This means that preventing falls in the workplace must move beyond simply asking ‘What shoes are people wearing?’ to asking ‘What are all the different risks for each individual worker?’. This necessary holistic perspective on risk must come from good staff engagement to understand all the many issues – personal, social and clinical as well as environmental – at play. In other words, managing fall risks effectively in the workplace means listening to what staff say as well as what can be seen or what data shows. Just as no good safety manager would ignore the risk of falls posed by a cluttered floor, they cannot afford to ignore equally dangerous issues that cannot always be seen.

This article was written by RoSPA OSH & Falls Manager Jules Robinson

Intersec Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s leading platform for security, safety, and fire protection, will open its 7th edition on 29 September at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC), running until 1 October.

Following a record-breaking 2024 edition, the event has grown further, hosting over 380 exhibitors from more than 36 countries and expecting upwards of 27,000 attendees.

Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior, and in association with the General Directorate of Civil Defense, Intersec Saudi Arabia serves as a key meeting point for global and regional experts.

The conference programme features two flagship summits: the Future Security Summit, powered by ASIS International - Dahran Chapter, and the Fire Protection & Technology Summit. These sessions will spotlight innovative strategies supporting Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects, smart city developments, and national security initiatives. For the first time, all conference sessions are CPD-certified, allowing delegates to earn recognised professional credits while engaging with industry insights.

The Future Security Summit spans two days of sessions delivered by regional experts, global thought leaders, and industry professionals, covering topics such as mega-event security, cybersecurity, homeland security, and aviation security. On the opening day, a panel will explore the security of giga-projects, featuring representatives from King Salman Park Foundation and Red Sea Global, alongside regional security specialists, discussing how protection strategies integrate with environmentally conscious urban planning.

Other sessions include “Beyond Borders: Regional and Global Security Cooperation in a Shifting Geopolitical Climate,” with contributions from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Aramco, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the National Security Services Company (SAFE).

The Fire Protection and Technology Summit will highlight the future of fire and emergency response, featuring international leaders at the forefront of innovation. This year introduces a collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which will host a dedicated programme on the second day, bringing world-class fire protection expertise to the Saudi market. Highlights on the first day include a keynote from Saudi Civil Defense, followed by a session with the International Code Council on updates to the Saudi Building Code (SBC).

Terrance Tsang, Chief Fire Officer, Hong Kong Fire Services Department, will present on “Enhancing the Safety Standard of Super High-rise Buildings,” while representatives from King Fahad International Airport will discuss “Fire Prevention Management for Airport Facilities.”

To mark the USA’s National Preparedness Month, held in September every year to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has highlighted the work of its Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD)

The OPSD safeguards America's offshore energy infrastructure while protecting coastal waters and marine environments from the devastating impacts of oil spills. BSEE works closely with federal agencies, state partners, industry, and environmental organisations to ensure a unified national response framework to safeguard people, the environment, and the economy.

Three pillars of protection

BSEE implements its preparedness program through three interdependent roles which together form a comprehensive defense system:

1. Preparedness Verification – reviewing and approving spill response plans, and ensuring operators maintain the people, equipment, and processes to carry them out.

2. Oil Spill Response Research – advancing technologies and tactics to meet evolving offshore energy risks.

3. Ohmsett Testing and Training Facility –a wave and test tank for oil spill research, training, and equipment evaluation.

BSEE conducts rigorous training programs and equipment inspections, as well as Government-Initiated Unannounced Exercises (GIUEs), which require offshore operators to stop what they're doing and shift immediately into crisis mode, deploying personnel, equipment, and processes to tackle a hypothetical spill. These exercises are run in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and state governments, helping BSEE to identify gaps in order to be fully prepared for a real incident.

Spill risks and technical challenges are evolving as US energy development pushes into new environments, such as the Arctic, the Atlantic, and higher-pressure formations, as well as new offshore renewables like wind and wave energy. BSEE invests in research and development which takes into account

into these evolving areas.

Eric Miller, deputy assistant director for OSPD, explains, "The technologies and data produced from robust government R&D inform regulatory updates, improve contingency plans, enhance response tools, and support safe and environmentally sustainable operations." This R&D not only reduces spill impacts but also spurs innovation, lowers risks for private research, and strengthens the broader energy economy.

Through constant planning, training, testing, and research, the division ensures that America's offshore energy sector is not only compliant but also capable.

Miller says, "It's vital for industry and the government to be ready to respond to an oil spill immediately. That's how we keep ecosystems healthy, communities strong and energy production stable."