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Re-activateEspecially in the summer, open windows pose a risk of injury and death for young children. "Screens are meant to keep bugs out, not kids in," said Chrissy Cianflone, Director of Programs for Safe Kids USA, in a statement released this week by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
According to the CPSC, in the last few weeks, several children have fallen from windows. Their data indicates that on average, about eight deaths occur yearly to children five years old or younger, and an estimated 3,300 children five and younger are treated each year in U.S. hospital emergency departments because of window falls. Hospitalization was required for about 34 percent of those children.
These deaths and injuries frequently occur when kids push themselves against window screens or climb onto furniture located next to an open window. "The deaths and life-altering injuries we have seen here at CPSC are heart-breaking and in many cases preventable," said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.
"Window falls increase dramatically during the spring and summer months but they can be prevented," according to Cianflone. "It takes active supervision on the part of the parent or caregiver, and a device called a window guard. Window guards are easy to install and have a release mechanism in the event of an emergency." (See our Guide to Childproofing and Safety for more tips.)
To help prevent injuries and tragedies, CPSC recommends the following safety tips:
—Artemis DiBenedetto
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