Safety and accessibility in use: risk factors and their determinants

Abstract

Accidents that occur in built spaces represent the result of the interaction of several factors. Some of these factors are attributable to the characteristics of the environment, others depend on the user and the ways in which the environment is used. The multifactorial nature of accidents explains why sectorial approaches represent a significant obstacle to the implementation of effective policies and intervention strategies for creating safer and more usable environments. The subject of this essay, that pays special attention to residential scenarios, is the description and classification of risk factors, that is, those environmental circumstances as well as individual and behavioural conditions that increase the frequency and / or magnitude of an accident. The article highlights the need for a comprehensive view of accidents as a cultural condition for an inclusive and safe design (technical prevention) and effective information campaigns aimed at users (prevention in use).