Looped cords and chains on window blinds can strangle babies and young children. The good news is that new blinds are much safer than they were, and older ones can be made safer in an afternoon.
What changed in 2014
In February 2014 the British and European standard for internal blinds, BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014, gained child-safety requirements: limits on cord and chain lengths, and safety devices so that a cord or chain cannot form a dangerous loop. The Office for Product Safety and Standards says new blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed at manufacture or supplied with the blind.
The standard itself is voluntary. What the law requires, under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, is that the products traders supply are safe, and meeting the standard is the accepted way for a blind to show that. Council product safety officers also advise professional fitters to install the safety devices in every home, whether children live there or not.
Blinds fitted before then may not have any of these features, so it is worth checking the ones already in your home, especially in bedrooms and anywhere a child naps or plays.
Blinds with no cords at all
A blind that is safe by design has no loose cord to form a loop. Options include:
- Plantation shutters, which have no cords or chains.
- Motorised blinds, opened with a remote, a switch or an app.
- Spring-operated roller blinds, pulled down and let back up by hand.
- Vertical and Venetian blinds turned with a wand rather than a cord.
Making an older blind safer
If a blind has a cord or chain that could form a loop, keep it out of reach. There is a safety device for most types of blind:
- Tidies and tensioners are fixed firmly to the wall or frame so the cord or chain is always held tight.
- Cleats sit at least 1.5 metres from the floor, out of a child’s reach. Wind the spare cord round the cleat in a figure of eight every time you use the blind.
- Chain-break connectors come apart under pressure and clip back together afterwards. Use one made for your chain.
Never tie cords or chains together, and check they have not twisted into a loop.
Move furniture away from the window
Children love to climb. Keep cots, beds, highchairs and playpens away from blind cords and chains, and do not put a chair or a toy box where a child could stand on it to reach a blind.
What we do
Every corded blind we fit has its child-safety devices fitted before we leave, and we show you how they work. For nurseries and children’s rooms we suggest a cordless style first. If you would like us to look at blinds you already have, mention it when you book your measure.
Sources: the Office for Product Safety and Standards leaflet “Are your blinds safe?”, the British Blind and Shutter Association’s 2014 leaflet on internal window blinds, and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s guidance to blind suppliers on BS EN 13120. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
