More than 200 Scots die every year from accidents in the home and that figure is set to exceed road accident fatalities for the first time in a generation.

New research also shows that accidents in the home cost the Scottish economy a staggering £4billion a year.

These are the headline statistics unveiled in the Home Safe Home report published by Home Safety Scotland, an organisation made up of safety professionals from across Scotland.

Paul Richardson, the chair of Home Safety Scotland, said: "Unfortunately, because these accidents happen behind closed doors, in isolated incidents, they rarely attract public, media or government attention.

"This is the first report of its kind in Scotland. It provides a detailed analysis of unintentional injuries as a result of home accidents and clearly highlights the scale of the problem in Scotland.

"The challenge ahead is to raise the profile of home safety with the public and with decision makers in Scotland."

There is currently no statutory requirement to deal with home safety.

But when you consider that almost as many people are dying in accidents at home as on the roads and that many of these accidents can be prevented using simple methods such as education, we strongly believe that prevention is much better than cure.

Margaret Brunton, the council's Home Safety Officer, said: "It is so important that the costs of unintentional injury are not ignored - not just in terms of suffering and lives lost but also the strain on the public purse.

"The average cost to the economy of a fatal home accident is around £1.6million and in 2009 there were 236 people who died as result of an injury sustained in the home."

The report also details how the over 75s and the under 5s are most likely to die or be seriously injured as the result of an accident - most particularly a fall - at home.

Margaret added: "In the case of over 75s this will continue to be one of the biggest challenges we face. The report points out that as the proportion of older people in Scotland continues to rise, so will the cost in long-term health and social care.

"The challenge will be how to prevent these falls and so prevent suffering whilst ensuring that resources will not be stretched. There are no easy answers or quick solutions, but the work we are doing here in South Lanarkshire, such as Be Smart, Be Safe, The Sloppy Slipper Exchange, and the Home Safety Cadet programme, is, I believe, a step in the right direction.

"We hope to use the information in this report to continue to focus resources and target key groups in the hope that we can make a difference."

Raising awareness of home accidents is an important part of prevention work. People not only need to understand what the common types of accident are but also that there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent many of them.

Elizabeth Lumsden, the community safety manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Scotland, said: "This report highlights that too many people are killed and injured in home accidents across Scotland, with young children and older people being the most vulnerable.

"The report will be an important tool for organisations the length and breadth of Scotland that are working hard to reduce the suffering caused by accidents."

(GK/KMcA)