The weather is heating up, so make sure your windows are safe

Last summer we blogged about window safety and the dangers posed by open windows, especially for children. Even if windows are screened, children can and have pushed through the screens and fallen out. Well, the weather here in Portland just got nice, and what happened? A four-year-old boy fell to his death from a second-story window in the family’s new home. The accident happened at the family’s housewarming party. I can only imagine how devastated the family must be.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are so accustomed to keeping our windows sealed and closed all winter that it’s easy to forget about taking precautions when we first open the windows to nice weather. We’re so thrilled to see the sun and have warm weather that we throw open the windows!

So, before you let in that nice warm breeze, make sure your windows are safe. Install window locks or guards, and keep furniture away from windows (children are often tempted to climb onto furniture to get closer to windows).

For more information about preventing falls, visit Safe Kids Oregon.

This was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 and is filed in the Public Safety categories.