[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 543 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 543

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 16, 2009.
Whereas unintentional injuries in the home result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 
        21,000,000 medical visits on average each year;
Whereas the top 5 causes of unintentional home injury deaths are falls, 
        poisoning, fires/burns, choking/suffocation, and drowning/submersion;
Whereas falls are the leading cause of home injury death among older adults in 
        the United States, and the total direct costs associated with both fatal 
        and non-fatal falls is more than $19,000,000,000 annually for 
        hospitalization, emergency department visits, and outpatient care;
Whereas poisonings are the second leading cause of home injury death in the 
        United States, resulting in nearly 5,000 deaths per year;
Whereas fire and burn injuries are the third leading cause of home injury death 
        and almost two-thirds (65 percent) of reported home fire deaths resulted 
        from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms;
Whereas deaths due to unintentional choking and suffocation injuries are the 
        fourth leading cause of home injury death in the United States and 
        nearly 25 percent of all choking and suffocation deaths occur in the 
        home;
Whereas deaths due to drowning are the fifth leading cause of home injury death 
        in the United States and an average of more than 10,000 events occur in 
        the home each year that require medical care, emergency department 
        treatment, and result in days away from work or school;
Whereas children and older adults have increased rates of unintentional home 
        injury, compared with all other age groups;
Whereas citizens are encouraged to take a hands-on approach to home safety and 
        become aware of the simple and inexpensive steps they can take to reduce 
        the risk of injury in each area of the home; and
Whereas June would be an appropriate month to designate as ``Home Safety 
        Month'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``Home Safety Month'';
            (2) recognizes the contributions of home safety related nonprofit 
        organizations for their ongoing commitment to ensuring families remain 
        safe in their homes;
            (3) recognizes the contributions made by the Home Safety Council to 
        the efforts of ``Home Safety Month'' for recently introducing a new and 
        innovative online tool to help adults identify the dangers present in 
        and around the home, designated as www.MySafeHome.org, and for promoting 
        the Hands on Home Safety Campaign, whose goal is to educate and empower 
        both families and businesses to take simple actions that will make homes 
        safe and minimize their risk for potential injuries, or even death;
            (4) encourages adults, parents, and caregivers to take greater 
        actions to reduce unintentional injuries and educate themselves on the 
        importance of home safety, for themselves and their loved ones;
            (5) encourages manufacturers to develop innovative safety products 
        and features to help lessen the number of home injuries and accidents; 
        and
            (6) encourages local and national government leaders to support 
        funding for critical home safety education programs to reduce the risks 
        from home injuries.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.