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Health and Environmental Effects of Boiler Management Systems in Social Housing

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborators:
Camden Primary Care Trust, London
London Borough of Camden Housing and Adult Social Care Directorate
Information provided by:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00874692
First received: April 1, 2009
Last updated: June 1, 2010
Last verified: June 2010
History of Changes
  Purpose

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.


Condition Intervention
Hot Water Burns (Scalds)
 Other: BMS and sterilisation programme

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Official Title: Randomised Controlled Trial of Boiler Management Systems in Social Housing in Camden: An Assessment of Health, Environmental and Economic Outcomes

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Thermal energy (degrees Celsius) at hot tap of bath [ Time Frame: after 1 minute ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Acceptability of hot water temperature delivered to tenant [ Time Frame: Up to 2-3 months post-intervention ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

Enrollment: 150
Study Start Date: April 2009
Study Completion Date: November 2009
Primary Completion Date: July 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: BMS and sterilisation
BMS and sterilisation programme will be delivered
 Other: BMS and sterilisation programme
BMS with reduced hot water temperature and sterilisation programme
No Intervention: BMS standard water heating

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

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
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
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00874692

Locations
United Kingdom
Camden
London, United Kingdom
Sponsors and Collaborators
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Camden Primary Care Trust, London
London Borough of Camden Housing and Adult Social Care Directorate
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Phil Edwards, PhD London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  More Information

No publications provided by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Additional publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Responsible Party: Dr. Phil Edwards, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00874692     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: EPNPPT84
Study First Received: April 1, 2009
Last Updated: June 1, 2010
Health Authority: United Kingdom: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Keywords provided by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:
tap water temperature
social housing
scald reduction
Temperature (degrees Celsius) of hot tap water at point of delivery.

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Disinfectants
Anti-Infective Agents
Therapeutic Uses
Pharmacologic Actions

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 19, 2013