Hundreds of thousands of Finnish balconies may need safety inspections

Inspectors recommend checking the safety of all glass-railed balconies built before 2023 in Finland, following fatal accidents linked to structural failures.

A recent incident in Tikkurila saw a man in his 30s fall through a balcony’s glass railing and die on Midsummer Eve. The Finnish Real Estate Federation’s expert told Yle the likely cause was improper glass securing.

In Helsinki’s Kruunuvuorenranta district, a 10-year-old apartment building has banned balcony use as a precaution. Parvekekorjaamo CEO Ari Laitinen said the building’s 60 balconies will undergo inspections and reinforcement of glass fixings. The critical weak point lies at the bottom of the glass panels, where plastic or rubber support blocks—prone to deterioration or displacement—hold the glass in place. If these fail, the glass can drop slightly, leaving it supported only by an upper seal.

Jukka Sammi, lead expert at consulting firm Sweco, said inspections frequently reveal glasses that would fall if leaned on. He advised residents to check if adjacent glass panels are misaligned, a sign of support block failure.

Laitinen, with 35 years in the field, noted that defects are found in nearly every inspection. Sammi, with 40 years of experience, confirmed that flaws appear across all manufacturers’ glass and railings.

Both experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of balconies built from the early 1990s to 2023 require checks. Stricter 2023 regulations now demand thicker glass, higher impact resistance, and deeper glass seating in railings to prevent falls.

Inspections have already identified glasses at risk of falling, though corrections were made before accidents occurred. Sammi added that many balcony glasses may not withstand impact, posing a risk if an adult falls against them.