Window Safety

wallcovering tips

    Windows can be hazardous. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports:


    Window covering pull cords also pose a danger. The CPSC has received reports that:



    There have been 194 deaths due to these cords since 1981.
    Many of the victims are children under five.
    Victims who were 10 to 15 months old typically became entangled while in their cribs, which were placed near window covering pull cords.
    Older child victims frequently became entangled when climbing on furniture to look out of a window.

    More than 4,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for window fall-related injuries each year.
    About a dozen children, 10 years old and younger die from their injuries each year.
    Most of the deaths and injuries happen to children under the age of five.
    Even a fall from a first-floor window can cause injury or death.

    Safety Tips
    Keep windows locked when they are closed.
    Never let children open windows by themselves.
    If you must open windows, open them from the top.
    Prevent windows from opening more than four inches by installing window guards or window stops. Use our safety circle to check the window opening.
    In windows on the 6th floor and below, install window guards that can easily be removed by adults and older children in the event of a fire.
    Beware! Window screens may give you a false sense of security. They do not prevent falls.
    Teach your children not to lean out of or play near open windows.
    Don’t place furniture children may climb on near windows.
    Consider installing grass, shrubs or mulch under windows. They may help cushion a fall.
    Keep window covering pull cords out of the reach of children. Keep them up, out of the way, with a clamp or clothespin, cleat or tie-down device.
    Cords should not be doubled or form a loop. Each cord should have its own tassel.
    Replacement safety tassels are available free of charge at window covering retailers. Contact the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 for details.

    Keep furniture - or anything children can climb - away from windows. Children may use such objects as a climbing aid.

    If you have young children in your home and are considering installing window guards or window fall prevention devices, be aware that the window guards you install must have a release mechanism so that they can be opened for escape in a fire emergency. Consult your local fire department or building code official to determine proper window guard placement.

    Some homes may have window guards, security bars, grilles or grates already covering their windows. Those windows are useless in an emergency if the devices on them do not have a functioning release mechanism. Time is critical when escaping a fire.

    Insect screens are designed to provide ventilation and to keep insects out. They will not prevent a child's fall.

    The degree of injury sustained from a window fall can be affected by the surface on which the victim falls. Shrubs and soft edging like wood chips or grass beneath windows may lessen the impact if a fall does occur.

    Supervision is the key to injury prevention for children.