Each year, at least 3,300 accidents in U.S. homes are related to falls from windows, and most of the cases involve young children. Pella Corporation is spreading the word about window safety by sharing best practices from their plant in Pella.
“Safety is built into every step of our design and production process,” said Kayla Stehlik, manufacturing facility manager at Pella’s manufacturing plant. “When an order arrives in our plant for production, it is already specified to be built with important safety attributes. The manufacturing technologies we use in our plant enable us to see those safety specs for every order. After the build is complete, we perform quality control checks on our products before they are installed so we know they will perform to safety expectations in a home or commercial building.”
There are several design attributes and tips Pella recommends customers consider for safety purposes:
• Window opening and close devices. These should be included on windows above the first floor. This limits the range of the window opening to four inches, helping to prevent falls.
• Tempered glass options for high traffic areas. Use in places like staircases or entryways to help prevent shattered glass from an accidental impact.
• Blinds and shades between the glass. This feature eliminates choking hazards created by dangling cords, ideal for windows and patio doors in homes with children. This popular feature has been certified by the non-profit organization Parents for Window Blind Safety.
• Teach screen safety. Screens are not intended to prevent a fall. Keeping children away from open windows, especially in buildings with a second story or above, is critical to preventing dangerous falls.
Pella Corporation equips their manufacturing-based safety coordinators with ongoing training opportunities, regular cross-team insights sharing and on-the-job coaching. The organization has won over a dozen safety awards over the past two years.
“The perception of manufacturing as dangerous work is a relic of the past for organizations who put safety at the forefront of their operations,” said Bob Jones, environmental, safety and facilities engineer at Pella’s manufacturing plant.