Window Safety

The State of Home Safety in America™ (2002) revealed that injuries associated with windows caused more than 110,000 emergency room visits in a single year. Follow these tips provided by the Home Safety Council to safeguard your family from preventable window injuries:

Protect Children from Window Falls

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), children are more likely to die or be severely injured from window-related falls than falls associated with any other product. Additionally, most of these injuries occur during the spring and summer months. To help prevent window falls in your home, the Home Safety Council suggests the following precautions:

• Be aware that conventional window screens are not designed to prevent a child’s fall from a window.
• Install specially designed window guards on upper windows to prevent children from falling out of windows.
• Purchase window guards that have a quick-release mechanism inside so that they can be easily opened by an adult in a fire emergency.
• Move furniture away from windows in children’s rooms to prevent them from reaching windows.
• Never leave young children unattended near open windows.

Window Cords

CPSC reports that more than 169 strangulation deaths caused by window coverings have been tracked since 1991. Most were children three and younger, though children up to age six are considered to be at risk. While many new window treatments eliminate these hazards, older homes may still have window cord dangers that can present a risk to young children. To make sure your window cords do not present a strangulation danger, the Home Safety Council recommends following these tips:

	Inspect your window coverings for inner and outer cord loops in blinds that could pose a danger to children.
	If your window blinds have loops, they can easily be made safer by requesting a free repair kit from the Home Safety Council and Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. Call 1-800-559-2555 to request your free kits. Position cribs, playpens, beds and other furniture away from windows and out of the reach of all window covering cords, including drapery pull cords.
	Tie window cords up and out of a child’s reach.