SF 356

1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to building codes; requiring window screens in certain residential
dwellings to comply with safety standards; creating a window safety program;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 16B.61, by adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 16B.61, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 3b. new text end

new text begin Window fall prevention device code. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of labor and
industry shall adopt rules for window fall prevention devices as part of the state Building
Code. Window fall prevention devices include, but are not limited to, safety screens,
hardware, guards, and other devices that comply with the standards established by the
commissioner of labor and industry. The rules shall require compliance with standards
for window fall prevention devices developed by ASTM International, contained in the
International Building Code as the model language with amendments deemed necessary to
coordinate with the other adopted building codes in Minnesota. The rules shall establish a
scope that includes the applicable building occupancies, and the types, locations and sizes
of windows that will require the installation of fall devices. The rules will be effective July
1, 2009. The commissioner shall report to the legislature on the status of the rulemaking
on or before February 15, 2008.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin WINDOW SAFETY EDUCATION.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of health shall create in the department's current educational
safety program a component targeted at parents and caregivers of young children to
provide awareness of the need to take precautions to prevent children from falling
through open windows. The commissioner of health shall consult with representatives
of the residential building industry, the window products industry, the child safety
advocacy community, and the Department of Labor and Industry to create the window
safety program component. The program shall include the gathering of window fall data
resulting in severe injury in order to measure the effectiveness of the safety program. The
commissioner of health may consult with other child safety advocacy groups, experts, and
interested parties in the development and implementation of the window safety program.
The commissioner of health shall prepare and submit a final report on the window safety
program to the legislature on or before March 1, 2011. The commissioner shall prepare
and submit a yearly progress report to the legislature on or before March 1 of each year
beginning in 2008 until the submission of the final report. The final report shall include a
summary of the safety program, the impact of the program on child window falls, and any
recommendations for further study or action.
new text end