Due To Risk Of Strangulation, Corded Blinds Are No Longer Being Sold

corded blinds
Image: iStock / Ogdum

Those who live in homes with corded blinds know what a pain in the ass they are. Always tangling and generally getting in the way. And they never seem to stay where you put them. Additionally, they pose a severe safety risk. When they’re in the reach of children, it’s only a matter of time before they’re a choking hazard. More often than not those cords are irresistible ”” kids just can’t keep their hands off them. So of course, this could lead to disaster. And now, manufacturers are finally taking corded blinds off the market, because of the strangulation hazard.

Earlier this year, the Window Covering Safety Council made the decision that blinds will no longer have cords. And if they do require cords, the cords must be short. Initially the decision was the compliance date for starting to use blinds without cords was set for January 9th, 2019. However, after changing their minds, the new compliance date was December 15th, 2018. That means if companies are manufacturing blinds, they must all have either short cords or be cordless. Going into the new year with the new rules in place will make things easier for all companies.

”The revised safety standard segments the market between stock and custom-made products because U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) incident data shows that requiring stock products to be cordless or have inaccessible cords would have the most significant and immediate impact on reducing the strangulation risk to young children from certain window covering cords,” WCMA Executive Director Ralph Vasami says in a statement.

The decision comes because of the insane amount of children who suffer injuries relating to corded blinds. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, thousands of children have suffered injuries. Between the years 1990 and 2015, almost 17,000 children were being treated for corded blind injuries. Mainly children under the age of six. Entanglement accounts for nearly 12 percent of injuries. As a result of tangling, 80 percent of those injuries were around the neck, which is incredibly dangerous.

Additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 50 corded blind fatalities between 2012 and 2017.

When shopping for blinds, look the Best For Kids certification label. The WCMA created this label to make shopping easier for parents. Make sure that your blinds don’t have cords. And if you can’t replace them, tie the cords up as best you can.

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