Kidsafe NSW promotes child injury prevention and education in an effort to preserve and protect the lives of our children.

Falls Prevention

While many falls cause only minor injuries, some falls are serious enough to require admission to hospital. Children will always experience bumps and bruises, but it is the more serious preventable injuries that are best avoided through community understanding of safety issues.

Common causes of serious fall injuries in and around the home include:

Furniture and Nursery Products

Children may get injured as a result of ‘clambering’ on furniture. These include change tables, high chairs, baby walkers, nursery cots, prams and baths. For more information refer to the following information sheets:

For more child safety information on products and recalls visit: 

Window safety

 

A new law started on 13 March 2018 says that all strata buildings must ensure windows above ground floor do not open more than 12.5 cm. The property owner is responsible for providing window safety devices for rooms above the ground floor.

Falls are the most common cause of injury in every age group. Falls from windows and balconies can be especially serious. Do not rely on fly screens to prevent a child from falling through a window and keep windows locked to a maximum opening of 12.5 cm​ to keep children safe from falls.

For more tips on window safety click here or visit NSW Fair Trading.

(Image source NSW Fair Trading)

Windows and Balconies

Children are experiencing falls from a variety of different types of dwellings ranging from apartment buildings, townhouses or duplex type accommodation and free standing homes. For more information go to: 

NSW Fair Trading has two great 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!

  • These videos are essential viewing for all parents and grandparents. They provide:

    • simple tips on how to prevent falls from windows and balconies in your home
    • easy step-by-step instruction on how to install window locks, and more. 

Remember, don’t be fooled by fly screens – they are not strong enough to stop your child falling out of an open window. Toddlers aged between 2 and 4 are most at risk of window falls because they’re top heavy and are too young to judge potential danger.

To view the Deck and Balcony Safety booklet produced by NSW Fair Trading, click here.

Stairs

Stairs are a common functional feature that provides access to a space that otherwise could be inaccessible. Open tread stairs can provide a child access to fall or become trapped within the riser gap from one stair to the next. For more information refer to the following information sheet:

Falls in the Backyard

Falls from play equipment and trampolines make up most of the injuries in backyards.  For more information refer to the following information sheets:

For more information on trampolines visit:

Falls on and around Roads and Driveways

Popular wheeled toys, for example, tricycles, bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates, roller blades and scooters can all cause serious injuries to children. For more information refer to the following information sheets:

For further information visit the following websites: