New Safety Standards Save Lives

Advisory Report - July 2000

New Safety Standards Save Lives
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced new safety standards for window guards that will help protect children from falling out of windows.  Industry standards ensure that guards are strong enough to prevent falls and that those for single family homes and the lower floors of apartment buildings can be opened easily for escape in the event of a fire.

According to CPSC, window guards screw into the side of a window frame and have bars no more than four inches apart.  They are sold in different sizes for various size windows and adjust for width.  Guards must meet requirements for spacing and strength and those that allow for escape in case of emergencies must be difficult for very young children to open.

Consumers can also purchase window stops that can be added to the window frame to prevent the window from opening more than four inches.  Some new windows come with window stops already installed.

CPSC estimates that 12 children 10 years old and younger die each year, and more than 4,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for window fall-related injuries.  Read more about the new safety standards for window guards at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml00/00126.html.