{"id":1420,"date":"2014-04-07T21:56:07","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T20:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/injury-prevention\/?p=1420"},"modified":"2014-04-07T21:56:07","modified_gmt":"2014-04-07T20:56:07","slug":"balcony-collapse-a-potential-unseen-threat-to-users-of-all-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/injury-prevention\/2014\/04\/07\/balcony-collapse-a-potential-unseen-threat-to-users-of-all-ages\/","title":{"rendered":"Balcony collapse – a potential (unseen?) threat to users of all ages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately here in Australia we have had a number of collapses of the family home balcony, and last month the\u00a0casualty was a 3 month old baby boy who had been cradled in his mother’s arms moments before the fateful fall (http:\/\/www.dailytelegraph.com.au\/newslocal\/central-coast\/death-of-baby-in-niagara-park-balcony-collapse-prompts-building-safety-warning\/story-fngr8h0p-1226857651952<\/a>). Such balcony collapses are by no means unique events here in Australia (e.g., http:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/news\/nation\/balcony-collapse-injures-five-people-at-nowra-in-nsw\/story-e6frg6nf-1226743237328<\/a>; \u00a0http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2013-02-28\/seven-injured-in-sydney-balcony-collapse\/4544180<\/a>). I know that\u00a0in my own experience here in Australia, where the summer can be long, hot and humid, and autumn and spring can mean balmy days continue,\u00a0the balcony is the perfect place to gather family and friends together.<\/p>\n

Overloading of balconies, poor maintenance and shoddy workmanship at the time of construction has been suggested as contributing to their collapse, however I would suggest that much of the threat is indeed unseen by the user. I have never inspected a balcony or deck\u00a0prior to standing on it, and I would not know what I should be looking for if I did try to inspect it. There are numerous tips for home-owners with decks and balconies which have the potential to cause injury if they collapse (e.g., see\u00a0http:\/\/www.archicentre.com.au\/publications\/archicentre-blog\/629-check-the-deck<\/a>), however as a visitor, I am unlikely to know if the home-owner is aware of these tips, let alone if they have acted upon them.<\/p>\n

Recent collapses have sparked a call for tighter rules by the\u00a0Australian Institute of Architects (http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2014-04-01\/architects-say-up-to-12000-decks-at-risk-of-collapse\/5359072<\/a>). “Up to 12,000 balconies and decks across Australia could be at risk of potentially deadly collapse”.<\/p>\n

Gino Andrieri, of\u00a0Maurice Blackburn Lawyers\u00a0representing the Diefenbach family (their baby girl died in 2010 after her father’s foot fell through a rotted floorboard in the rented home’s deck), stated “It’s a hidden trap because from the outside there are no significant visual indicators of the danger.” The Queensland coronial recommendations\u00a0include:<\/p>\n