The purpose of bed rails
Bed rails are designed to prevent people from falling out of bed and injuring themselves. They are safety devices used to reduce the risk of a person accidentally slipping, sliding or rolling out of bed. You may also hear bed rails referred to as bed side rails, side rails, cot sides, and safety sides.

Bed rails should not be used to restrict someone who wants to get out of bed, even if they are unsteady and at a risk of falling once they are out of bed.

Equipment manufacturers must provide a warning about any risks and limitations on how to use the equipment with maintenance requirements. All of the people using the equipment must be aware of and comply with these.

Always ensure the bed safety rail is appropriate for the type and style of bed.

If there are two rails (often called split rails) along one side of the bed and one or both rails are tilted at an angle so both the top and bottom of the bed is raised, there may be gaps in which an individual could get trapped. This is an example of entrapment.

Where split rails are used, make sure the gap between the split rails is less than 60mm, or more than 25 cm, to avoid head and neck entrapment.

Bed rail maintenance
Incident investigations have revealed that incidents with bed rails have occurred due to poor or no maintenance. Bed rails must be included in planned preventative maintenance checks and schemes. Maintenance of bed rails should follow manufacturers’ recommendations. These can usually be found in the instructions for using the bed rail.

Formal maintenance checks must include the following items. You will also need to look out for these on a regular ongoing basis. You should immediately report any health, safety or maintenance issues:

Health and Safety at Work Act.
People responsible for making decisions on the provision of bed rails and the care of people for whom they have been provided need to be aware of their duties under relevant health and safety legislation.