Background Injuries are the leading cause of death for children ages ≤19. Known effective countermeasures and safety devices are readily available, but not routinely utilised. Existing child safety efforts are not centralised or easily accessible and the current process for “child proofing” a home is difficult, confusing, and time-consuming. The objective was to development a home safety mobile application, to help parents and caregivers learn how to make their homes safer by identifying and remedying injury hazards in their home.

Methods The Make Safe Happen app allows users to identify injury hazards with room-by-room checklists and provides direct links to purchase safety products from an online, global retailer. In addition, app users can set reminders to help encourage correct and consistent use of these products. App users also had the option to complete a feedback survey embedded in the application. The app launched in February 2015 and is currently available for free from iTunes or Google Play.

Results As of October 2015, there were over 18,000 app downloads (iOS and Android). Over 20,000 safety actions (safety tasks completed by active app users) have been completed. In addition, 575 calendar reminders to check or change batteries and 502 poison control contacts (national poison control telephone number) have been created by app users. A total of 89 app users completed the survey. Of those, 86.5% reported that the app helped them to make their home safer, 75.6% learned something new, and 95.3% would recommend the app to a friend or family member. Additional analytic and survey data on the number of rooms completed and products purchased and installed will be presented.

Conclusions Parents and care givers want to protect and keep their children safe from injuries in and around the home. Preventing injuries helps ensure that all children and adolescents live to their full potential. The Make Safe Happen app was developed to bridge the information gap in a direct and efficient manner enabling the wider use of prevention measures that will protect children from injury.