Carolyn Male MP, State Member for Pine Rivers, said that the potential dangers of bunk beds have been highlighted by the Office of Fair Trading as it aims to reduce the number of injuries they cause to children.

Carolyn Male MP said the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit estimated there were 450 bunk bed related injuries presented to hospital emergency departments across the state each year.

“This means that 1% of all injuries suffered by children aged 14 years and under that are presented to emergency wards are connected to bunk beds,” Carolyn Male MP said.

“85% of these injuries were the result of a fall from a bunk bed, with most injuries suffered by children aged 5-9 years old.”

“Younger children, aged between 1 and 4 years of age, were more likely to be injured while playing around a bunk bed than sleeping in it.”

Carolyn Male MP said a mandatory safety standard, introduced in Queensland in 2002, had improved the safety of bunk beds purchased since then.

“Older pre-existing bunk beds were not covered by this safety standard,” Carolyn Male MP said.

“It’s imperative that parents and care-givers inspect their bunk beds to ensure they are safe.”

The mandatory safety requirements for bunk beds include:
- No gaps anywhere in the bunk bed above 600mm from the floor between 95mm and 230mm (to reduce the incidence of head entrapment);
- A guardrail at least 160mm above the top of the mattress all four sides of the upper bed (that meets the gap requirements in the above point) to prevent falls;
- No protrusions from the bed of more than 8mm - this will reduce the risk of hanging as a result of clothing becoming caught on the protrusions.

More information about bunk bed safety is available online at www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or by calling 13 13 04.