“Our findings suggest that thousands of homes across Britain have non-compliant blinds fitted, but also that families do not know what to look for to ensure their child is safe. We recommend installing non-looped cord blinds, not placing blind mechanisms near beds or cots, and checking whether existing blinds are compliant.”
Ashley went on to outline how to reduce the risk of a blind cord accident:
“If you are fitting blinds yourself, and want to ensure a blind cord is compliant, you should follow the instructions supplied with the product and ensure you fit any safety devices included.
“Safety devices that parents should look out for include tidies, tensioners or cleats. Tidies and tensioners need to be permanently taught and so should be fixed tightly in place so that a blind’s cords and chains are held in a rigid position. Cleats should be installed out of grasp from a child, so at least 1.5 metres from the ground.
“Parents should always ensure cords are tied up (or looped cords removed entirely) if in a room where a child may spend time in. In terms of cleats, it is recommended to curl all looped cords around a securely installed cleat into an infinity symbol.
“A child’s bedroom, however, should never have looped cords fitted whatsoever, and any cots should be positioned away from a window. Parents can ensure their child is safe by never leaving them unaccompanied in a room with looped cords and should consider fitting post-2014 standard blind cords when they have the opportunity.”
Further information on blind cord safety can be found at Blind cords – RoSPA.
See also: Nose Pickers More Likely to Catch COVID
