The World Health Organisation has chosen the University of Warwick Law School as a collaborating centre for housing standards and health.

The School’s new status means it will be the WHO’s first port of call when looking for advice on accidents and deaths at home and in drawing up new housing standards and laws.

Professor David Ormandy said: “More people die in their homes each year than die on the roads. At work we have health and safety legislation – but homes remain dangerous places.”

Professor Ormandy was closely involved with all stages of the WHO LARES project (Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status).  This looked at housing conditions and the health of residents in eight cities across Europe and the findings led to the commitment to put health at the centre of all housing policies made at the European Ministers’ conference at Budapest in 2005.

David, who has a background in environmental health , added: “In the past housing assessment focussed on the building, nowadays the focus is on potential threats to health and safety – the effect of defects - and that’s a result of the work at Warwick University.”

The WHO accreditation will help the University of Warwick School of Law in future research bids.

ENDS

For further information contact:               

Professor Ormandy on 024 7652 4936

R ichard Fern, Press Officer, Communications Office, University House, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 8UW.
Tel: 07876 217740   
Email: r.w.fern@warwick.ac.uk