Window and balcony safety

Each year, around 50 children fall from windows or balconies in Australia. Many suffer serious injuries. Sometimes these falls are fatal.

Children aged between 1 and 5 years are most at risk and too young to judge potential danger.

In May 2013 the Building Code of Australia (BCA) was amended to include new provisions for protecting openings in all residential buildings. Essentially any window above the ground floor (that has a fall of 2 metres or metre to the ground below) now needs to be protected in some way to avoid children falling through them. This may be done in a number of ways, so each window will need to be checked to ensure it meets the new requirements.

NSW Fair Trading has two great new YouTube videos on child window safety, presented by DIY guru and TV personality Rob Palmer. These bite-sized videos deliver a simple yet vital message – window locks could save your child’s life and can be easy and cheap to install. To watch these videos or to find more information on protecting your windows and balconies visit NSW Fair Trading.