Window Blind Safety

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Window treatments might not immediately come to mind as home safety hazards, but - especially if they were made earlier than 2001 - they could well be!

Specifically, parents and caregivers should consider window cord safety. Since 1991, more than 175 infants and children have died from accidentally strangling in window cords. Pet owners should also be aware of this problem, since a frolicsome pup or inquisitive cat can also be easily entrapped by a stray cord!

In recent years, the window covering industry has redesigned its corded products and developed cord-safety standards to respond to child strangulation concerns. Looped pull cords were eliminated from mini blinds as of 1995, permanent tie-down devices were attached to vertical blinds and traverse draperies in 1997, and built-in cord stops were added to horizontal blinds and corded shades beginning in 2001.

Still, it's estimated that consumers have not yet retrofitted millions of older, corded window coverings, and new parents and pet owners are sometimes unaware of potential cord dangers.

"Because cord-safety features are now built into window coverings, we believe parents will feel more confident about their child's safety if they replace their older window coverings with the products now available," explained Peter Rush, executive director of the industry's Window Covering Safety Council. "We also recommend that parents consider using cordless window coverings in children's bedrooms and play areas."

For More information, check out www.windowimprovements.com