Safety of Bed Safety Rails

The debate is still on on whether bed rails actually provide safety to its users or are they time bombs that are waiting to cause an accident.

Those against the use of bed rails suggest that bed safety rails causes more accidents in places where they are use compared to places where they are not installed. While it is true that there have been accidents associated with the use of bed safety rails, it is not easy to identify how many accidents were avoid with its use, therefore making it difficult for any side to proof their case on the safety of bed rails.

Although bed safety rails are designed to provide safety and protection, we cannot expect any design to be 100% safe. Safety air bags can end up bruising drivers, safety goggles can end up injuring the wearer’s eyes. Safety features have been known to cause injuries to its users, but users are usually better off with than without them. We believe that bed safety rails do serve their purpose and where they are inadequate; users should do their best following proper instructions and taking care in their use of the rails. Safety issues associated with bed safety rail are highlighted below.

Mesh Suffocation

Mesh suffocation is a situation that occurs in bed safety rails with fabric installation for comfort. This is often found in safety rails for children rather than for adults. The side bars of the bed rail are covered by mesh fabric to prevent young children from falling through the hole in-between. Unfortunately, the mesh now becomes the menace in itself.

Young children are known to turn onto the side mesh during their sleep. While the bed safety rail prevents the child from falling out of the bed, the mesh becomes suffocation hazard instead. A young child may not be strong enough to lift his/her own weight and will get trapped face-down on the mesh material, causing suffocation. To prevent mesh suffocation it is recommended that only children two years or older should sleep with bed safety rails.

Bed Rail Entrapment

One of the major reasons against the use of bed safety rails is bed rail entrapment. Bed rail entrapment is the situation where a person becomes trapped between the bed rail and the bed by accident. The person’s head may be pressed against the bed sheets or the mattress, preventing him/her from calling for help and cause suffocation.

This situation usually arises because of improperly sized bed safety rails that leave a gap between the bed mattress and the rails. A young child or patient may fall into the gap when trying to climb out or over the rail and land in an awkward position where he/she is unable to recover him/herself. To prevent entrapment, users are advised to size their bed safety rails correctly so that the bed rail can be installed as closely as possible to the mattress, with little or no gaps in-between.

No safety rail can truly be 100% safe. Safety products can only be as safe as the person who uses them. Remember to read instructions from the manufacturer carefully and only use the product as prescribed.