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Reach Out to Buyers With Free Window Safety Material
With the onset of warm weather and more open windows, the potential for injuries from falls increases. To give builders an
opportunity to share important safety information with home buyers and customers, NAHB and the National Safety Council (NSC) are providing free safety promotional materials to home builders associations and their members to distribute during the upcoming National Window Safety Week, April 22-29.
The materials — created by the National Safety Council and the window industry — provide information about the potential risks of window falls and common-sense actions families can take to reduce the risks.
The information is not confined to National Windows Safety Week, however. Windows play a critical role in home safety year-round, serving as a vital escape route from a fire.
Some of the actions from the window safety checklist available in the free information include:
- Develop an emergency escape plan for your family and practice it regularly.
- Keep your windows closed and locked when children are around.
- Don't rely on insect screens to prevent a fall.
- Keep furniture — or anything children can climb — away from windows.
- Make sure windows with guards, security bars, grilles or grates have a functioning release mechanism.
- Never paint or nail windows shut.
- Do not install window unit air conditioners in windows that may be needed for escape or rescue in an emergency.
- Plant shrubs and soft edging like wood chips or grass under windows to cushion potential falls.
Other materials that can be downloaded from the special National Window Safety Week section of the NAHB Web site, www.nahb.com, include an article with helpful tips for home owners that can be distributed to local newspapers, a National Window Safety Week brochure and a “Children’s Window Safety Activity Book.” To view the safety section and access the free material, click here.
HBAs and their members can also order a free brochure and information kit from National Safety Council’s Window Safety Task Force by calling NSC customer service at 800-621-7619. They are:
- "Keeping the Promise of Safety" brochure (product number 00006-6215), available in quantities of 100 or more.
- "Window Safety Information Kit" (product number 00006-6210), which includes the brochure, safety tip sheets, the checklist, a press release and the coloring book.
For more information on NAHB and window safety, e-mail Jeffrey Inks at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8547.
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