You may not know it, but window coverings in your home could have the potential to harm or even kill a small child.
Window treatments — such as blinds, shades and cords — can be life-threatening, according to a 2017 study in the journal Pediatrics. An estimated two children are injured per day and at least one person dies per month in blind-related incidents, the study showed.
But industry standards approved in January have the potential to make window treatments less of a danger.
“No child’s life is worth this,” said Kevin Welsh, owner of Budget Blinds in Chesapeake. “So we are going to change an entire industry.”
Keep an eye on the kids
Blind cords are designed in such a way that a child could become accidentally strangled, Welsh said. Manufacturers create blinds in bulk for commercial sale, measuring 36 inches wide and 60 inches tall; a pulley system to move the blinds can create a loop in which a small child or an animal can become trapped, he added.
According to Welsh, the string that goes up into the slat of the headrail of the blinds — which allows users to adjust the light — can be pulled outward; this lengthens the blind and creates a potentially dangerous loop. Something like this is easy enough for anyone to maneuver, Welsh said.
Currently, stores do offer child-safe blinds, but most homes already have corded blinds, according to Welsh.
“People just aren’t aware of the dangers of a window treatment, but the biggest thing is to keep an eye on the kids,” he said.
Window-treatment safety standards set by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association are developed through consensus standards approved by the American National Standards Institute.
Under the association’s new approach, large commercial stores will no longer sell corded blinds after Jan. 9, 2019. Specialty stores such as Budget Blinds will be able to sell customers corded blinds, but they’ll cost more.
The new standards direct manufacturers to produce blinds with inaccessible cords and to provide warning labels for custom-made corded blinds.
A history of foot dragging
According to Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the Center of Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who published the study in Pediatrics, the revised industry standards fall short in part because they’re voluntary for manufacturers, not federally enforced.
“Each step of the way, the industry has been dragging its feet on making all the products cordless,” Smith said. “It isn’t like we have to wait for some new invention, the product is already available.”
According to Smith, the revised standards don’t go far enough.
“We should require all blinds be cordless,” he said. “They already exist on the market, it’s not like we are waiting for a cure.”
The new measures will come at a cost, though.
Customers can expect to pay $75 to $100 more for blinds, according to Welsh.
If you have corded blinds in your home, Welsh suggests keeping the window treatments lowered to the sill, to limit the length of any exposed cord. He also suggests investing in cord cleats, which can be used to tie cords tightly so children don’t become entangled.
Still, a public-safety official welcomed the revised standards.
“This will create community risk reduction,” said Al Catlett, battalion chief and spokesperson for the James City County Fire Department. “Anything that enhances safety, especially when it comes from a national standard, is a positive.”
Correction: According to Paul Nathanson, a spokesperson for the Window Covering Manufacturers Association, any price increase stemming from the new standards will vary based on individual sellers and specifications. The standards were adopted in January 2018 and manufacturers have until Dec. 15 to comply.
