Accidents on bunk beds but does it have to be that way, well many families have more than one child in the household and bunk beds have become the norm to make the most of space in each bedroom.
WE NEVER SEEM TO THINK OF SAFETY WHEN WE ARE FIGHTING FOR SPACE
A prime example of space conserving over safety is a tragic accident that occurred at an international backpacker hostel some years back; it was heartbreaking for the owners and management of the hostel to learn that one of their guests were using a hospital bed instead of one of their bunk beds.
It was not a hard decision to buy bunk beds for the hostel as most international backpacker hostels around the globe have them; what wasn’t so obvious was the fact that bunk beds can be seriously dangerous due to accidents on bunk beds.
Despite government advisory schemes aimed at manufacturers it is still apparent that some manufacturers do not design their bunk beds to meet western strict safety compliance. This bad practice by some manufacturers can be seen where suppliers offer bunk beds with safety guard rails as optional extras or bunk beds that are basically designed for the domestic markets
The hostel owners to their credit had an unblemished history of zero accidents and pride themselves on comfort as well as strict safety measures such as fire exits even bed bug resistant mattresses! So you can understand why the hostel owners were shocked to learn after the accident that over 36,000 kids under 15 and adults suffer from bunk bed mishaps and in some cases even death.
The hostel went on to learn that these accidents were more likely to be young adults in the age range of 18 to 25 year olds [a typical gap year backpacker]!
Accidents on bunk beds included cuts and bruises, head injuries to more than half were the direct result of falls from the upper level of the bunk bed; despite many warnings adults and parents are still allowing children under the age of 6 to occupy the upper levels.
FORTUNATELY DEATHS ARE RARE WITH BUNK BED ACCIDENTS
Deaths from accidents on bunk beds are thankfully extremely rare, only 5 recorded deaths which were a direct result of persons falling from a bunk bed onto a hard surface causing severe head injuries or where a child would die from strangulation when their head become trapped between the bunk bed gaps. As we mentioned above, most bunk beds now comply to western legislation safety and entrapment standards design, since this has come into force, deaths from accidents on bunk beds have diminished to zero.
ESS Universal, a company that designs bunk beds and mattresses for dormitory use says that accidents on bunk beds should serve as a warning to any organization that uses bunk beds in a dormitory situation and goes as far as to offer free advice to those who choose to use bunk beds.
http://heavydutybunkbeds.com.au
