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HSW Statement

Our Designing Sustainable Homes that Make Life Easier continuing education program does address health, safety and welfare (HSW) issues and includes a one-hour segment dedicated to barrier-free design, accessibility, codes or standards.

This course is a fusion of universal design and green building techniques for residential construction and addresses health, safety and welfare issues:
HEALTH:
Under the discussion of green building techniques, the course content includes the features of a healthy home such as preserving the quality of the air by not using building materials that emit VOCs. Practices to eliminate toxic levels of radon gas from entering the home will also be included. Harmful gases and chemicals in a home can render it unsafe. This course will introduce the participants to the Health House Builder Guidelines from the American Lung Association.
SAFETY:
In the content on universal design there are many principles that will be discussed in order to protect the safety of the occupants of the home. Principle Five, Tolerance for Error is about insuring that the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Universal design features to assist in safety include: installation of reinforced grab bars, light switches at reachable heights, step free entrances, and roll in showers. Principle Six, Low Physical Effort is reinforcing that the design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. This takes into account the design of hardware so that cabinets and drawers can be opened easily, especially by a person with limited strength or hand movement.
WELFARE:
In addition to this course being focused on universal design, it is also including definitions of and illustrations of home features for accessible design, adaptable design, visitability and aging in place. There will be discussion on how space planning impacts access to areas of the home, including wheelchair access. The course instructor, who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is acutely aware of the space needs in doorways, corridors and every room of the house.