realcondolife

It started off as a lazy Sunday morning. With no dog to walk we lazed around and had a very slow start to the day, just hanging out. Literally. My youngest learned how to do tricks on his bunk bed. 

He learned also how to remove screens from windows.

We knew it would only be a matter of time.  This was MacGyver we were talking about. This new discovery of his was really frightening to me. Despite being In accordance with the building code. It’s critical to remember that screens are to prevent insects from coming in. Not, children from falling out. 

Code for higher floor windows however, do consider the risk and in highrise buildings are mandated to only open a maximum of four inches. This still seems like too much of an opening when your child is nearby. And while I’m assured that the window opening is too small for him to fit through, it’s still something I don’t fee comfortable with.  It could also allow small objects to unintentionally (or even worse, intentionally) be tossed out of the window. 

At our old place, we had a similar problem with the second floor windows. We replaced the default pins on the screens that were easily manipulated, allowing the screen to be removed, and fastened them with screws.  We were still able to remove the screens with a screwdriver to clean the interior of the windows.

I reached out to our safety supervisor to see what his thoughts were. His important lesson that I want to share is that despite the code for window openings to a maximum of four inches, wear and tear can result in an excess of four inches. They should always be monitored and adjusted if necessary. Particularly if small children are in the home. And nothing, is a replacement for adult supervision.  But it’s hard to be everywhere. And so when it comes to safety, we always have to play our A game. These are the best practices that help to keep residents and the surrounding community safer. 

Recycling our larger items was an exciting part of the weekend  for them too. There was even a place and space for easy disposal of lightbulbs and batteries.