Many elements of safety in the home are policed by the Trading Standards service. It enforces consumer related legislation as set out by central government. This legislation is vast and always evolving and, amazingly, has only recently focused its attention on the lethal threat posed to a child by the lopped cord on a window blind.
Window blinds with cords and chains represent a clear and present danger to young children and even family pets. In seconds a child can become entangled in the looped cords, leading to death by strangulation.
The window blind industry through the British Blinds and Shutter Association, together with ROSPA and Child Accident Protection Trust are working tirelessly to improve awareness and recommend that existing blinds be fitted with safety device.
Window Blind Safety in public places
Window blinds with looped cords are a clear and present danger in millions of homes, as many a tragedy where a child has died through strangulation have proved. Parents and grandparents often go to great length to ensure the safety of their children and grandchildren when at home, but the potential for disaster posed by their seemingly benign window blinds is largely overlooked.
It is not just in the home that window blinds pose a problem though. Take a look at any public building, from a library to a hospital, from leisure centres to playgroups and from schools to shops and you can see unprotected window blinds just waiting to trap a young child.
If you work in a public building, try our simple wrap-a-round test. Take hold of the cord hanging from a blind and if you can wrap your hand around it then it is a potential danger for a child.
Pets at Risk
It is not just children to which blinds pose a risk, however. Much loved family pets can be at great risk, too. Cats, for example, love to climb and explore and especially to play with anything hanging down such as a cord or tassel. In seconds, though, they can become entangled in a looped cord and choked to death.
Dogs, while generally lacking the agility of their feline counterparts, do like to jump up and to nose around windows, especially if that means they get a good view of the new poodle next door or poor postman simply doing his job delivering the letters. The consequences of your dog becoming entangled in a window blind cord can be equally tragic.