Railings, Guards and Grilles: Providing Maximum Safety for Children

As a parent, one of the best things you can do to protect young children is to make sure your guards and railings meet current codes. Long® Fence is a member of The National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA) which has a long and proud tradition of supporting public safety and endorses the current commercial and residential building codes published by the International Code Council:

Openings in Guards: The ICC codes state that no opening in a railing should allow a 4-inch sphere to pass through. If your home was built prior to 1994 you may have guards with a 6-inch or even 9-inch opening. Current and past data shows that “fall through” accidents, incidents where a child or small person accidentally slips or falls through an opening larger than 4” within the railing design account for the vast majority of accidental falls and deaths from high balconies and porches. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the openings on any non-compliant or older railings be adapted to meet the current code requirements. Should you wish to reduce the openings in your guard system, a professional NOMMA member can work with you to design a retrofit. If spacing is too wide, corrective measures may include adding intermediate members or scrollwork.

Location Requirement: A guard is required for porches, balconies, or raised floor surfaces more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below.

Minimum Guard Height Requirements: 36 inches residential, 42 inches commercial. Just like the opening requirements, older codes allowed for railings as low as 30”, and in some cases even lower. For adults and children alike, a low railing is a hazard for falling over. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the height of any non-compliant railings be modified to at least meet the minimum requirement.

Balcony Protection
Secure Doors and Windows — Keep doors and windows leading to balconies locked. For open entrances, add a gate with an elevated safety latch.
Parental Control — Never leave a child unattended on a balcony or high porch, even if it has a code-compliant guard.

Stairs
The use of safety gates at the top and or bottom of the stairs to prevent climbing or accidental falls by toddlers is highly recommended.

Travel
When traveling with children, upon arrival in the hotel room, assess the integrity of the railings the same way you do at home. Some destinations may have furniture resting against the balcony rail, or the rail itself may be out of code (larger than 4" gaps).

Railings
• Check your railings often for signs of wear or damage and make sure the fasteners are intact. Structural failure from poor maintenance is a hazard for all occupancies. The load limit for code compliant railings is 200 pounds. If your railing is wobbly or loose, have it inspected by a local NOMMA member firm and repaired immediately.
• Do not allow children to sit on railings — this is not the purpose of their design. Should a child be found to be playing near or on a railing, verbal commands may not be sufficient — be prepared to carefully carry the child away from railings.
• Never allow furniture or other items to be placed against a guard or railing of any type of construction; it will defeat the purpose of the guard.
 
Window Guards
• Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of windows. If this is not practical for all windows, use window stops instead (windows should not open more than 4 inches).
• Regularly check to ensure that any release mechanism is in proper working order.
• Never depend on screens to keep a child from falling out of a window.

Swimming Pool Perimeter Protection
• Fences and gates should be at least 4 feet high and installed completely around the pool.
• Gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be out of reach of small children.
• Gates should swing out, away from pool.
• Gates should not have an ornamental pattern between 2 and 48 inches.
• If a door from your house opens directly to the pool area, place an alarm on the door.
• If a child is missing, always check the pool first!
• Familiarize yoursel with local swimming pool codes. Should you have a concern about compliance, contact a local NOMMA member for a professional consultation and to have any needed work performed.

Source: NOMMA
 

Take a Vacation in Your Backyard

(ARA) – The housing market may be keeping you in your current home for awhile and fuel prices are rising, so why not enjoy your outdoor spaces and save money by taking a vacation right in your own backyard?

You’re in and out of your home every day, but when wanderlust sets in this summer, take a look at your property in a new way. Investing in small upgrades to your property can add a tremendous amount of value to your home. It can also give you new ways to enjoy your spaces and make it feel like you’re on vacation in your backyard.

Expand your living space with a deck or patio and double the usage by adding a retractable awning to provide cool, comfortable shelter from the sun and a roof during occasional rain sprinkles. A retractable awning has no unsightly support poles to detract from the beauty of your home ease of use allows anyone to control the amount of shade provided.

If lounging in the shade with a book and a cool drink isn’t enough, here are some other options for backyard vacations:

Bubble Up
A freestanding hot tub is an affordable way to feel like you’re at the spa everyday. Retract your awning to luxuriate in a warm moonlight dip with your sweetheart or roll out the awning to spend a shaded Sunday afternoon piling in with friends and family with no risk of sunburn.

Backyard Bistro
No patio is complete without a large outdoor table and comfy chairs. Pull the awning out and enjoy a lunch of hot dogs from the grill while sipping soda in the shade or retract the awning to share a candlelight dinner under the stars with friends.

Stop and Smell the Flowers
Surround yourself with native flora and fauna to enjoy the beautiful sights and smells of nature. Plant wildflowers that attract birds and butterflies and give yourself the gift of observing backyard wildlife. Add a small water feature, such as a waterfall or fountain, to incorporate relaxing sounds.

When you decide to expand your outdoor living space, your use and enjoyment will expand with it. Hanging out in the backyard at home will really feel like a vacation! It's an investment you’ll reap rewards from for years to come.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Molds need three things to grow: food, water, and temperate weather. Since the spores settle out of the air, they will be more prevalent on horizontal surfaces and are generally not found below overhangs, under porches or patios, or on the undersides of decks, even in damp areas. After landing on a host material, a spore must obtain sufficient moisture to find enough food. Without moisture, the spores will lie dormant until favorable conditions occur. There are many common food sources, such as dust, pollen, and other pollutants. Regularly sweeping the deck is recommended as the colonies are typically invisible; they only change color after they have released spores and died. Sweeping the deck removes the food source (pollen, dirt) and removes any dormant spores as well.

Preventing the growth of mold is as simple preventing the three factors that it needs to live. Keep the deck as dry as possible, and remove the food source by sweeping or washing. Here is a checklist of mold-preventive steps:

    • Gap the decking properly (minimum 1/8') for drainage
    • Assure that the downspouts do not discharge onto the deck
    • Check that gutters are not backed up and overflowing onto deck
    • Check that dryer vent does not discharge directly onto or around deck
    • Pitch the deck properly away from the house for drainage (minimum 1/8" in 8')
    • Avoid the use of bark mulch around, on, or under the deck (bark mulch is typically heavily laden with mildew spores)
    • Avoid the use of lawn or plant fertilizer on the deck (such as overspray from lawn fertilizer or Miracle-Gro from potted plants)
    • Sweep the deck every week, especially when pollen is heavy (typically spring and late summer)