Reinforced by Feedback, Proven by Testing: Relaunching Our Updated Anti-ligature Window Protectors

Contour is proud to officially relaunch its anti-ligature window protector, now improved with new features, enhanced testing, and valuable input from professionals working across secure healthcare, mental health, and complex needs environments.

With the safety and wellbeing of service users and staff at the heart of our development process, we’ve taken everything we’ve learned in the past 12 months and refined the design to better meet the day-to-day realities of care delivery.

Listening to the Sector: Feedback That Drives Change

Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with estates teams, clinical staff, and mental health professionals to understand the unique pressures they face when it comes to creating safer spaces.

This engagement culminated in an overwhelmingly positive response at DiMH 2025, where our stand gave visitors a first-hand look at the updated window protector design. The thing that became clear over the last 12 months is that services are looking for smarter, more practical ways to increase safety without removing light, comfort, or control.

In response to this feedback, we’ve introduced two key optional features that offer added value to both the service user and the facilities team.

Two New Features Supporting Dignity and Day-to-Day Comfort

1. Dial-Operated Ventilation Grille
   Now available as an optional feature, a controllable vent allows fresh air to enter the room from an externally open window. The airflow is managed via an anti-ligature dial giving the service user or staff a safe and secure way to regulate ventilation without compromising safety.
   
   
2. Integrated Fire-rated Blind
   Traditional anti-ligature curtains often get pulled down or removed, leaving the room overly exposed to light and disrupting service user rest and recovery. Our new integrated blind is fully enclosed between the protector and existing window and is operated via a tamper-resistant, anti-ligature dial. It offers a safer, more reliable way to manage light and privacy, especially important in therapeutic settings where poor sleep can impact mental health outcomes.

Tested to Perform in the Real World

Alongside these enhancements, we’ve undertaken extensive in-house testing to validate the strength and reliability of the window protector in real-world settings. Testing included:

• Lock integrity checks using typical items found on mental health wards
• Impact testing under major physical force
• Destruction simulation, helping us understand potential failure points so they can be addressed proactively in design and manufacture

This robust testing programme has been critical to developing a product that’s not only compliant but proven under pressure.

Built to Last, Designed to Fit

As with the original model, the updated anti-ligature window protector is manufactured using a 2mm Zintec or Magnelis steel frame, with an IP3X rated ventilation grille and an 8mm clear polycarbonate vision panel which is virtually unbreakable. Should the panel ever be damaged, it can be easily replaced without removing the full frame, reducing downtime and cost.

All units are bespoke-sized to fit the existing window reveal precisely, and the design is flexible enough to be surface-mounted or inset. For ornate or uneven reveals - common in older or listed buildings - the protector can be installed using a timber or chamfered metal subframe, maintaining the architectural integrity of the building while delivering modern safety standards.

Supporting Fast Recovery in Emergency Scenarios

We’ve also seen strong interest in the window protector’s role as a temporary safety solution. In high-risk environments, when a window is smashed, whether in a bedroom, therapy room or communal space, that room must be taken out of use immediately.

If a facility keeps a standard-size window protector in stock, estates teams can act fast. The protector can be installed over the damaged glazing and sealed into place making the room safe and operational within hours, while the original window is repaired. This reduces the cost of emergency relocation, protects bed income, and allows staff to continue delivering care with minimal disruption.

The Result: Smarter, Safer, More Resilient

The updated anti-ligature window protector isn’t just stronger, it’s more considered. Every feature has been informed by real-world feedback and refined through testing that reflects the environments in which it’s used.

From integrated airflow control to a secure, enclosed blind system, the product now offers greater flexibility for both proactive planning and reactive safety measures while preserving dignity, comfort, and compliance.

Explore the Updated Design and See How it Could Support Your Facility

If you’re looking to enhance safety, reduce risk, and respond quickly to incidents without compromising comfort or building integrity, our updated anti-ligature window protector offers a refined, tested design that reflects the real challenges faced in mental health and secure environments.

🔗 Click here to view the range or contact the team.