Changes to the National Construction Code have come into play as of 1 May, with new requirements for window safety.

By introducing requirements for window restriction and screening, it is expected the number of incidences of children falling out of windows will reduce.

An estimated 50 children fall from windows in Australia each year, such as the two-year-old that fell 13 metres from a Sydney unit block in February after the flyscreen of a third-floor window gave way.

The majority of these incidents involved children below four years of age and in many cases, the injuries are significant, resulting in death, severe injuries and permanent disability.

New requirements apply to window barriers for openable windows in early childhood centres and bedrooms in residential buildings – such as houses, apartments, hotels – where the floor beneath the window is more than two metres above the surface beneath.

These windows will either need to be fitted with window locks that stop the window opening more than 125mm, or have reinforced screens.

The Australian Window Association (AWA) has released supporting documents on the new regulations, detailing what they are, and how you can adhere to them, as well as providing detailed diagrams on each new regulation.

In an article Trips, Slips and Falls written by AWA technical manager Neil Cunningham, it says there are a number of hardware solutions available for compliance such as short chain winders, barrier screens and more.

“We have been told that sliding window vent locks which key lock the sash at 125mm, but allow the sash to open fully when unlocked will meet the requirements of the BCA. However, care must be taken to ensure that the water performance of the sill is not compromised by the hardware fixings.”

One issue that has arisen with the new opening requirements is that of ventilation. Under the Building Code of Australia, the opening area of a window must be five per cent of the floor area of the room.

The Australian Building Code Board has determined that the ventilation area of a window is calculated by the total area of the sash, not by the openable area.

Image courtesy Trend Windows & Doors

Lisa Rapley

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