In the Finnish city of Vantaa, residents of a building in the Tikkurila district cannot use their balconies after, on the eve of Midsummer, a man fell through the balcony railing of another apartment and died. Following the tragedy, access to all balconies in the building was prohibited, YLE News reports.
Inspections until the end of October
The balconies will remain closed until they are inspected and declared safe, said Reetta Räsänen, property director at Lähi-Tapiola Kiinteistövarainhoito. According to her, the inspections are planned to be completed approximately by the end of October.
After the incident, Lähi-Tapiola banned the use of balconies with glass railings at all residential properties it manages. The restrictions apply to 70 residential properties in different parts of Finland. The ban will be lifted separately for each property after an inspection and confirmation of residents’ safety.
Balcony doors do not open
Markus Kettunen, who lives on the first floor of the building in Tikkurila and uses a wheelchair, has had no access to his balcony throughout the summer. The handle was removed from the balcony door, so he cannot open it.
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According to Kettunen, the apartment was particularly uncomfortable during the heat: it could only be ventilated through two small windows, while the sun shines on the same wall throughout the day. This summer, he went outside more often, although he had previously spent more time on the balcony. The resident also said that he has not yet received rent compensation, but he was promised that it would be paid retroactively for the period during which the restrictions are in force.
A man aged about 30 died in Tikkurila. According to YLE, the tragedy likely occurred because of the fastening of the balcony glass. After the incident, building supervision authorities in the Helsinki metropolitan area urged building owners to check the safety of balconies and terraces where glass structures are used as protective railings.
Lumo and Sato also reported that they were inspecting all their glass balconies. Each company has about 10,000 such balconies. Experts interviewed by YLE believe that the safety of all balconies with glass railings built before 2023 should be checked.
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