National Window Safety Week
The first week of April is recognized as the National Window Safety Week. This week is a reminder to understand the importance of window safety and fall prevention throughout the year. The start of April welcomes the spring season. With spring comes warm weather and homeowners open their windows to get some ventilation. However, open windows can be dangerous for children who are not supervised properly.
Many young children every year get seriously injured due to window accidents. Child deaths have also been recorded. The National Window Safety Week creates awareness of what the parents and caregivers should do to keep their children safe in homes and eliminate the risk of accidental falls and injuries.
To protect your kids from falling out of windows, here are some useful tips:
- Do not place furniture close to windows as your kids may climb the furniture to reach the windows
- The purpose of insect screens is to keep insects out. These screens do not prevent children from falling out of the window and so you should not rely on them
- Keep all the toys and other clutter away from your windows so that you can escape easily during an emergency
- When you install window guards, you should be aware of how the release mechanism functions, so that you can easily open and escape during emergencies
- You should teach your children how to use windows to safely escape in emergency situations
Windows should be included in your home’s emergency escape plan. You should ensure that your windows open easily. And teach your kids to operate them in case of emergencies. Although windows are great for escape, they do pose dangers for children. To keep your kids safe, they should always be under adult supervision. Teach children to play away from windows and balconies.
The National Window Safety Week serves as an important annual reminder. However, the awareness about window safety should be ongoing. All parents and caregivers should supervise their children to prevent window falls and injuries.
