Background Almost 90 per cent of the deaths caused by accidents and more than 70 per cent of the accidents causing an injury occur at home and in leisure time. The most common type of accident is falling and tumbling. One third of the fatal accidents occur under the influence of alcohol.

Description of the problem The treatment of injuries and poisonings causes the second most inpatient periods in medical care and fourth most in institutional care within primary health care. Injuries are the fourth most common cause of death. Annually about 2,500 Finns die accidentally (Population 5.4 million).

Results The multi-sectoral coordination group has drawn up a national target and action programme for the prevention of home and leisure accident injuries 2014–2020 (http://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/126217). The programme encompasses 91 actions, for each of which the coordination group has designated bodies responsible for them. In this programme, by home and leisure accident injuries is meant accident injuries other than those occurred at work or in traffic.

The coordination group has defined the most important measures for the following sets of actions: improved safety culture and strengthened safety work, prevention of accident injuries related to the use of medicines, alcohol and drugs, increased equality and in particular improving the safety of vulnerable groups, improved environmental and product safety, and prevention of falling accidents. Specific objectives have been defined for each set of actions.

Conclusion The vision of the present national programme to prevent home and leisure accident injuries is that no one needs to die or be injured as a result of an accident. The objectives of the programme include reaching a good safety level in all environments, 25% reduction in the number of serious accident injuries by 2025 and allocation of more substantial and permanent resources for accident injury prevention.