Sources for every figure are listed at the bottom of this page. Journalists, strata managers and researchers are welcome to cite these statistics with a link to this page.

How many children fall from windows in Australia each year?

Around 50 children fall from windows or balconies in Australia every year, according to NSW Health’s Kids Health unit at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. On average, 10 of those children are admitted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead alone after falling from a window. Those are only the falls serious enough to reach a major paediatric trauma centre — falls treated at local emergency departments or by GPs sit outside that count.

How serious are child window fall injuries?

Of the children admitted to Westmead after a window fall, 80% had suffered significant or severe injuries, and the majority were under five. A 22-year observational study at the same hospital (1998–2019), published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, recorded 381 falls from windows and balconies, including four deaths. Windows, the hazard section 118 targets, accounted for more falls than balconies. 17% of the children sustained injuries with an injury severity score of 12 or higher, the threshold for major trauma.

Which children are most at risk of falling from a window?

Children under four made up 64% of falls in the Westmead study, and boys outnumbered girls two to one. Toddlers climb, can’t judge danger, and are top-heavy — a heavier head shifts their balance point forward on a sill or balustrade. Falls cluster in the warmer months, when windows stay open overnight. Falls are also the single largest cause of child injury hospitalisation in Australia across all types: the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare attributes 45.9% of hospitalised child injury cases — roughly 30,500 admissions — to falls.

How many NSW homes are covered by strata window safety laws?

NSW has 89,049 strata and community title schemes containing 1,043,690 lots, according to the UNSW City Futures Research Centre’s Australasian Strata Insights 2024 report — and roughly 95% of schemes include residential lots, which puts them under the window safety provisions. More than 1.28 million people live in private apartments in NSW. When the legislation was introduced, the NSW Government cited “more than 72,000 strata schemes”; the sector has grown by about 17,000 schemes since, so thousands of newer buildings have inherited the compliance obligation along the way.

What does NSW law require for window safety?

Section 118 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 requires owners corporations to fit complying safety devices to every qualifying window, and the deadline passed on 13 March 2018. The requirements are specific:

What is the penalty for non-compliance?

The maximum penalty for an owners corporation that fails to comply is $550 (5 penalty units) per offence, and NSW Fair Trading can inspect buildings and issue penalties. Individual owners and residents can also apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for orders forcing the owners corporation to install devices. The bigger financial exposure usually sits outside the fine itself: a documented compliance record is what an owners corporation produces when an insurer, a buyer’s solicitor or a court asks whether the building met its obligations.

Is there official data on how many buildings comply?

No. NSW Fair Trading has never published a statewide window safety compliance rate, so nobody knows how many of the state’s 89,049 schemes comply today. When Parliament asked how compliance would be monitored, the Government pointed to complaint-driven enforcement, Tribunal orders and education campaigns rather than systematic auditing.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Kids Health, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (NSW Health) — Window safety: ~50 falls per year nationally; ~10 Westmead admissions per year; 80% significant/severe; majority under five.
• Houlton et al. (2021), Observational study of falls in children from windows and balconies: What has changed?, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: 381 falls 1998–2019; 218 windows / 163 balconies; 64% under four; 2:1 male-to-female; 17% ISS ≥12; four deaths.
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — Hospitalised injury in children and young people: falls = 45.9% (~30,500) of child injury hospitalisations.
• UNSW City Futures Research Centre — Australasian Strata Insights 2024 (rev. Oct 2025): 89,049 NSW schemes; 1,043,690 lots; 1.28m+ NSW apartment residents.
• NSW Legislation — Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 s118 and Regulation 2016 r30: device requirements, 125 mm / 250 N / AS 5203:2016, $550 maximum penalty.
• Parliament of NSW — Question 4701, Strata compliance with window safety devices: “more than 72,000 strata schemes” at the reform; complaint-driven enforcement model.

Related reading

• Annual Window Safety Re-Certification Program
• The NSW window safety compliance register explained
• One-off audit vs annual compliance program
• Budgeting for annual window safety compliance