Clinical trial NCT00874692: Health and Environmental Effects of Boiler Management Systems in Social Housing
Official title: Randomised Controlled Trial of Boiler Management Systems in Social Housing in Camden: An Assessment of Health, Environmental and Economic Outcomes
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Hot Water Burns (Scalds)
Keywords: tap water temperature
social housing
scald reduction
Temperature (degrees Celsius) of hot tap water at point of delivery.
Lead sponsor: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Camden Primary Care Trust, London
name: London Borough of Camden Housing and Adult Social Care Directorate
First posted: 2009-04-02
Enrollment: 150
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a passive safety measure, namely a reduction in centrally controlled hot tap water temperatures in social housing using a boiler management system, as an effective public health intervention.

Detailed description: The annual hospital admission rate in England for burns and scalds is 31 children per 100,000 population. While reducing the temperature in domestic hot water tanks is a recommended injury prevention strategy, the UK has been slow to adopt such 'passive' safety measures. However, Camden Council employs a Boiler Management System (BMS) in boiler houses to centrally set the hot water temperature for parts of its social housing stock, providing the opportunity to evaluate various impacts of a 'passive' safety measure, including quantifying the effects of the BMS on average hot water temperatures at delivery, annual energy costs, and annual greenhouse gas emissions; modelling the reduction in scald injuries; identifying the cost-effectiveness of the system as a public health intervention; as well as describing experiences/ perceptions of risk of scalding and identifying health and social benefits of the BMS. Boiler houses with BMS will be randomised to remain at their constant set temperature or to BMS reduced temperature and sterilisation programme. A process evaluation will also be undertaken to assess the acceptability of water temperatures to tenants.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Individuals living in social housing in the London Borough of Camden where the Boiler Management system has been installed.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Aged under 18 years

Primary outcomes:
measure: Thermal energy (degrees Celsius) at hot tap of bath
timeFrame: after 1 minute
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Acceptability of hot water temperature delivered to tenant
timeFrame: Up to 2-3 months post-intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: London
country: United Kingdom
facility: Camden
Study officials:
affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
name: Phil Edwards, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Edwards P, Durand MA, Hollister M, Green J, Lutchmun S, Kessel A, Roberts I. Scald risk in social housing can be reduced through thermostatic control system without increasing Legionella risk: a cluster randomised trial. Arch Dis Child. 2011 Dec;96(12):1097-102. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2011-300606. Epub 2011 Sep 20.