by Cyndi Roberts, Owner/Designer

October has been recognized as the National Window Covering Safety Month for the last 11 years. In the window covering industry, Blinded by Delight has always tried to keep child safety in the forefront of our product offerings. The annual awareness campaign is a joint effort of the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  Both organizations strive to raise awareness of the hazards posed to children by window coverings with standard cords.

In an NBC News story dated October 11, 2014, we are reminded that “Almost every month, on average, another child dies from window cord strangulation, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These cords are on the commission’s list of the top five “hidden hazards” in the home.”

The story goes on to say “Keeping children from being strangled to death is first and foremost for me when it comes to window covering cords,” said CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye in a statement. “No matter the final approach – whether it is a comprehensive federal standard or a vastly improved voluntary standard – I feel the urgency to having this hazard addressed, so families with young children and businesses can have confidence in the safety of these products.”

The WCSC has a few basic cord-safety precautions that all parents and caregivers should be aware of:

In the custom window coverings industry, deaths should not be happening due to the availability of many child safe lifting options offered.  Many vendors, like Hunter Douglas, try to take a proactive part in expanding the message of child safety in October and throughout the year. Their products offer options such as motorization (Powerise), cordless lift (Literise), continuous cord loops (Easyrise system) and the propriety cord system called the Ultra Glide.  The Ultra Glide system is a pull and retract system that does not allow the cord to get any longer except when the shade is being opened.

If you would like more information on window cord safety, or a free retrofit kit for older products, you can call the WCSC at (800) 506-4636 or go online to www.windowcoverings.org.  You can also see the “Hunter Douglas Child Safety at the Window” brochure at www.hunterdouglas.com or call (800) 99SAFTY for more information.

If you would like to see the latest in child safe window coverings please call Blinded by Delight today to schedule an appointment. We have all the newest products that you can operate in our showroom.

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