New technical bulletin covers window opening control devices

A new technical bulletin clarifies the definition of a window opening control device (WOCD) to promote greater understanding of the role of WOCDs and provide an understanding of a WOCD’s function.

\When properly designed, tested, specified, and installed, WOCDs can help prevent or reduce accidental falls from windows, while allowing the ability to open the window fully as may be needed to exit in the event of a home emergency, according to a news release from the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) and the Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA).

The document, AAMA/WDMA TB-24-01, “will help users understand the important role of WOCDs, and how to tell the difference between them and other window hardware types like vent limiters or night latches, designed for different purposes,” said Dan Raap (AmesburyTruth), co-chair of the FGIA Window Opening Control Device (WOCD) Update Task Group.

WOCDs were introduced as a new window fall prevention device starting with the 2008 version of the ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) (ASTM) F2090, Standard Specification for Window Fall Prevention Devices with Emergency Escape (Egress) Release Mechanisms. ASTM F2090 is a standard for window fall prevention devices that are releasable such that a window can be fully opened for emergency escape or rescue.