SALT LAKE CITY — More than 5,000 children in the U.S. are injured in window-related accidents each year, and now during National Window Safety Week experts are sharing tips for keeping kids safe.
National Window Safety Week is put on each year during the first full week of April by the National Safety Council.
Kirk Thrift is the store manager at Ace Hardware, and he said parents have options when it comes to making windows more safe for children.
“There’s different locking mechanisms that can easily be installed with a drill or a screwdriver for those screens, so they won’t open, and you pull out this little tiny pin allowing it to open and close, but you know spring cleaning not only cleaning the house but checking your doors and windows is a good idea each spring,” he said.
The National Safety Council also offered tips regarding window safety:
- Keep windows closed and locked when children are around
- When opening windows for ventilation, open windows that children cannot reach
- Don’t rely on insect screens to prevent a fall, as they are designed to provide ventilation and not to prevent a child’s fall from a window
- Keep furniture, or anything children can climb, away from windows
- Determine your family’s emergency escape plan and practice it regularly
- Make sure nothing is blocking or preventing a window from being opened in the case of an emergency
