Window handle child safety: a lock is not a restrictor
Updated: October 2026
You want a key on the upstairs window after a scare. Window handle child safety is a smaller claim than that key. A lock stops the lever. It does not limit an ajar sash, and it is not a restrictor. The Products Compared editorial team used RoSPA, Approved Document B, Secured by Design, the HSE falls page, and amazon.co.uk listings from 15 October 2026. This is not a ranking of the levers in the [window handle comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/window-handle). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You want a key on the upstairs window after a scare. Window handle child safety is a smaller claim than that key. A lock stops the lever. It does not limit an ajar sash, and it is not a restrictor.
You want a key on the upstairs window after a scare. Window handle child safety is a smaller claim than that key. A lock stops the lever. It does not limit an ajar sash, and it is not a restrictor. The Products Compared editorial team used RoSPA, Approved Document B, Secured by Design, the HSE falls page, and amazon.co.uk listings from 15 October 2026. This is not a ranking of the levers in the window handle comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Lock | Keys | Windows | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ERA ERA inline multi-spindle handle | Key, espag lock | 1 | uPVC and timber | 8.0 | about £6.81 | View offer |
 Home Secure Home Secure multi-spindle locking handle | Key lock | Count not stated | uPVC and aluminium | 8.4 | about £7.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  WODSTA WODSTA 2-pack 43 mm locking handles | Push button | 2 | uPVC and aluminium | 8.0 | about £9.99 | View offer |
On this page
What a handle lock does
The locking listings hold the lever with a key, or with a push button plus a key. Blunesta does not state one. Lyntrioris does not name one.
When the key is turned, the sash stays put only if it was already shut. Locked ajar, the opening is the gap you left. A window lock stops the window opening, and a restrictor lets it open a limited amount. A handle lock does the first of those, and only while the lever is locked. Toolstation's Yale line uses child safety for the push button. Do not adopt that as fall prevention. Fit the lever only after how to measure a uPVC window handle.
A restrictor, not a second handle
RoSPA's falls advice is to lock upstairs windows or fit a restrictor that you can operate and a young child cannot. The bedtime page prefers a restrictor, because a lock can hinder escape in a fire, and it says not to leave furniture a toddler can climb. JCP states a common guideline of about 100 mm for a restrictor and says never to lock an escape window shut. That retail line is not the HSE rule, and it is not a specification of any handle here.
Escape windows and the key
Approved Document B, for dwellings, allows locks with or without removable keys on escape windows. The opening still has to be at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, with the bottom of the openable area no more than 1100 mm above the floor. The window should remain open without being held.
The key has to be usable in a fire. Secured by Design puts key locks on accessible windows unless they are the escape route. If the swap would leave no usable key, stop before the old lever comes off. That stop is also on how to replace a uPVC window handle. PAS 24 tests a complete window, not a loose lever.
Care settings
Where people in health and social care could fall, the HSE says limit the opening to 100 mm or less and release it only with a special tool or a key. That rule is for those buildings. It is not a household handle spec. Do not stack 100 mm with the 450 mm escape sizes as one gap for every home. A care setting needs a restrictor or a specified window.
Common questions
Does a lockable window handle keep a child from falling?
It keeps the lever from moving when the sash is shut and the lock is engaged. It does not limit the opening if the window is locked ajar, and it is not a restrictor. RoSPA tells you to lock upstairs windows or fit a restrictor, and prefers a restrictor where fire escape matters. A key on Yale, ERA, Home Secure or the other locking listings does not change that distinction.
What is the difference between a window lock and a window restrictor?
A window lock, including a keyed handle, is meant to stop the window opening. A restrictor lets it open a limited amount and should still let an adult open an escape window fully. JCP states that contrast and a common guideline of about 100 mm for restrictors. None of the twelve handles here is a restrictor, including those with a push button described elsewhere as child safety.
Should upstairs windows be locked or restricted?
RoSPA's falls page says lock them or fit a restrictor that you can operate and a young child cannot. The bedtime page prefers a restrictor because a lock can hinder escape in a fire, and it says not to leave furniture under the window. The choice depends on whether that window is also the escape route.
Can I fit a keyed handle on an escape window?
Approved Document B allows locks with or without removable keys if the opening still meets at least 0.33 m² and at least 450 mm by 450 mm, with the bottom of the openable area no more than 1100 mm above the floor. The window should remain open without being held. The key must be usable in a fire. Secured by Design does not treat the escape route like other accessible windows that you simply key-lock.
Where should the window key be kept?
Close enough that an adult can open the escape window in a fire, and out of a young child's reach. JCP says the same for a restrictor key: close, but not where children can take it, and never lock an escape window shut. A key in a distant drawer fails the fire condition even if the handle locks.
What is the rule in a care setting?
The HSE says that in health and social care, where a fall from a window is a risk, the opening should be 100 mm or less and released only with a special tool or a key. That is not the specification of these handles, and it is not Approved Document B's escape sizes. A care building needs a restrictor or a specified window. Call a fitter rather than ordering another lever.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.
- GOV.UK — Approved Document Q, security in dwellings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- BSI — PAS 24:2022+A1:2024 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Secured by Design — windows (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Approved Document B, fire safety, dwellings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- RoSPA — falls (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE — falls from windows (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Handlestore — how to measure uPVC window handles (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- ERA — window handles (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for these twelve handles, 15 October 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)