- National Window Safety Week observed April 22-28 -

PELLA, Iowa, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- It's one of the first signs of spring -- opening the windows to welcome in the fresh air. And now's the time to practice window safety -- especially when children are present in the home. Every year hospitals see an increase in window fall injuries during the spring and summer months. In 2006, nearly 5,000 U.S. children were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries sustained from falling out windows, according to the Safe Kids Worldwide(R) campaign. That's why Pella Corporation has partnered with the National Safety Council, through its Window Safety Task Force, to help raise awareness of window safety, planning and prevention during National Safety Week April 22-28.

"Take a few minutes now to familiarize yourself with the facts about window safety in the home to help protect your loved ones," said Kathy Krafka Harkema, Pella's window safety spokesperson and a member of the Window Safety Task Force. "It is critical for adults to understand that there's no substitute for the role of proper adult supervision when there are young children in the home, especially around open windows or doors."

  Pella offers these important tips to help enhance home safety:

  1.  Remember there is no safety substitute for responsible adult
      supervision around children. Set and enforce rules about keeping
      children's play away from windows, doors and balconies to help prevent
      an accidental fall or injury.

  2.  For greatest safety, keep your windows closed and locked when children
      are around. When opening windows for ventilation, open those that a
      child cannot reach. For example, on double-hung windows which feature
      two moveable sashes, open the top portion for ventilation and keep the
      bottom part closed for greater safety.

  3.  Keep furniture such as beds and dressers -- or anything children can
      climb -- away from windows to help improve safety in your home. Don't
      allow children to jump on beds or sofas, which could lead to
      accidental falls or injury. Furniture placed under a window can create
      an enticement to climb and the potential to fall, especially for young
      children. Furniture placed under a window could also slow your escape
      from a home in the event of an emergency, such as a fire.

  4.  Windows provide a secondary means of escape from a burning home. For
      greater safety, determine your family's emergency escape plan and
      practice it regularly. Designate a door as the primary exit and a
      window as an alternate escape route from each room in your home. Make
      sure each opens quickly and easily and keep the escape route free from
      clutter, which could present a tripping or falling hazard, especially
      in dark or smoky conditions. Remember that children may have to rely
      on a window to escape in a fire. Help them learn to safely use a
      window under these circumstances.

  5.  When performing seasonal repairs or cleaning, make sure your windows
      and doors are not jammed, painted or nailed shut. You must be able to
      open them quickly to escape in an emergency. If they don't, it's time
      to consider replacement, because windows and doors can be replaced;
      lives can't.

  6.  Windows, which tilt in for cleaning, not only provide greater
      convenience, but greater potential safety, too. When choosing windows,
      look for those which can be cleaned from the interior simply by
      tilting the unit inward, eliminating the need to climb an exterior
      ladder for window cleaning.

  7.  If you have young children in your home and are considering adding
      window guards or window fall prevention devices, properly install
      approved guards that meet American Society for Testing and Materials
      (ASTM) standards, and feature a quick-release mechanism, so they can
      be opened for escape in an emergency. Consult your local building code
      official for more information on approved fall prevention devices and
      proper placement.

  8.  If you live in an area subject to hurricanes, consider
      impact-resistant glass for windows and patio doors to help provide
      year-round protection from winds, rain and flying debris.
      Impact-resistant glass, which cannot be easily penetrated helps
      protect your home year-round, providing a safe solution.

  9.  If your home features impact-resistant windows or patio doors designed
      to withstand hurricane-force winds, train your family members to first
      attempt to open the window to exit through it in an emergency, rather
      than trying to break the glass. Impact-resistant glass cannot be
      easily penetrated, so it's important to acquaint everyone in your
      household with how to open units, or designate other exits if the unit
      is fixed in place and does not open.

  10. For added protection, choose blinds and shades with no room-side
      cords; window treatments with traditional cords can contribute to
      childhood injuries. One option is Pella's Designer Series(R)
      collection of windows and patio doors, which feature blinds or shades
      protected between panes of glass. The cordless operation of the
      collection and protection of window treatments between glass helps
      keep children and pets safer in the home. Designer Series windows and
      doors are also beneficial for those with allergies and asthma; units
      featuring blinds protected between panes of glass can significantly
      reduce indoor airborne allergens. Recent research found that windows
      with traditional room-side blinds collected 200 times more indoor
      airborne allergens than the Designer Series products.*

Additional window safety tips are available year-round at: http://www.nsc.org/aware/window/.

In addition to efforts to promote the importance of window safety, Pella's Close the door on fire! campaign spreads important home fire safety messages across the United States and Canada.

About Pella

Celebrating 82 years in business, Pella Corporation is recognized in the window and door industry for its technology and innovation, having earned more than 100 product and design patents. In addition to windows and patio doors, the company also manufactures entry door systems with the same level of quality and technology for which Pella is known worldwide. The company is represented by a Direct Sales Network operating Pella Window & Door Stores nationwide. For more information, call 888-84-PELLA or visit http://www.pella.com/.

* Based on data from ongoing research conducted by the Department of

Occupational and Environmental Health at The University of Iowa.

Source: Pella Corporation

CONTACT: Kathy Krafka Harkema of Pella Corporation, ,
cell, , ; or Debbie Arringdale of The
Integer Group, , cell, ,

Web site: http://www.pella.com/