Did you know that window’s rank as one of the Top 5 Hidden Home Hazards according to the CPSC?
Follow our steps to find out how to practice window safety in your home. Our goal is to bring awareness to the dangers of windows during National Window Safety Week.
Step 1: Take Our Free Window Safety Quiz
Step 2: Review Your Quiz Results
- Question 1 Answer: Determine your family’s emergency escape plan and practice it regularly. Include 2 escape routes from every room. Help children or older adults in the home learn how to use a window to escape a room. Identify a safe meeting place in the event of an emergency.
- Question 2 Answer: Keep your windows closed and locked when children are around. If you are opening windows for ventilation, open ones that children cannot access. Set and enforce rules that prohibit children from playing near windows or patio doors.
- Question 3 Answer: Screens are designed to provide ventilation while keeping bugs and other things out of your home. They are not designed to hold the weight of a child, animal, etc. from falling out of the window.
- Question 4 Answer: Keep furniture that blocks or allows children to climb on away from windows.
- Question 5 Answer: Covered windows are useless if there is an emergency. If you have an emergency device installed, great! Now make sure you and anyone who might be in your home for an extended time knows how to activate the release. If they don’t have them installed, visit or call the local fire department. They can offer solutions and recommendations.
- Question 6 Answer: Never paint or nail your windows shut. If you are not the first owner of your home, inspect all windows to make sure they can properly open.
- Question 7 Answer: If you need to install window air conditioning units, do not install them in windows that are needed or may be needed for emergency escapes. Aim for at least one window per room as an escape option.
- Question 8 Answer: By planting shrubs and softer materials like wood chips, grass, etc., you can help to cushion falls.
Step 3: Download Our Free Window Safety Guide
American Heritage Insurance Group’s Free Window Safety Guide will educate you on the risks of windows in your home. It will also offer tips on how to make your windows safe.
Sources: National Safety Council
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