More Safety Tips: Windows

Just got a press release from Safe Kids Canada about summer safety and specifically windows, please have a read.

Safe Kids Canada reminds parents to install window safety devices to protect children from injury

With the arrival of warmer weather, Safe KidsCanada is reminding parents to install safety devices to prevent young children from falling out of windows in their home. In previous summers,Canadian children have been seriously injured and have sometimes died falling out of windows. Many of these children were reported to be two to three years old, a common age for this kind of incident."A window screen will not prevent your child from falling out of a windows it can easily give way to the weight of a small child," says Allison Hewitt, executive director of Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). "Check your windows and make sure to install the proper safety devices that will protect your child from injury."

To prevent injuries from occurring to young children, Safe Kids Canada
recommends parents:

- Install a device to stop the window from opening more than 10
centimetres (4 inches).

A child cannot fall through this small a space. A wide variety of
devices are available. Simple measures could include using screws in
the window frame to prevent the window from opening more than 10
centimetres.

- Install a window guard.
A window guard forms a barrier in front of an open window. Window
guards are sold at hardware and specialty stores and some department
stores.

- Keep windows locked if you are not able to use window safety devices.

- Make sure to move furniture away from windows, as well as balcony
railings, to prevent young children from climbing up and falling.

Only a few cities in Canada have local by-laws that require landlords to
install window safety devices on all windows in multi-unit dwellings. Safe
Kids Canada encourages provinces and territories to consider regulations to
increase window safety. For more information on child safety, parents can call-1-888-SAFE-TIPS (723-3847) or visit www.safekidscanada.ca.