Promoting Well Being

Around 1 young child dies every year in the UK due to a blind cord accident. Recorded near misses have numbered at least 20 times this. Unreported near misses could make the problem even higher.

This issue is currently being examined by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who are meeting with Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), CAPT (Child Accident Prevention Trust) and the BBSA (British Blind and Shutter Association) to call for better regulations to govern the design, manufacture, supply and installation of window blinds.

 The British Blind and Shutter Association have produced an information leaflet (Make it Safe campaign) which is available from: http://www.bbsa.org.uk/docs/BBSA-Cord-safety-leaflet-140809.pdf  see also:  

http://www.bbsa.org.uk/domestic/safetyissues.aspx for solutions to make blinds of different styles safer.

Many millions of blinds are sold every year in the UK and the BBSA has some simple guidelines for parents and carers of babies and small children as looped blind cords can pose a potential hazard:

• Do not place a child's cot, bed, playpen or high chair near a window so they may reach a blind cord
• Do not place furniture near a window that a child could climb on to reach a blind cord
• Do make sure that a safety device is fitted to keep the cords taut or out of reach

All BBSA members offer safety devices or alternative operating methods on new blinds and can retrofit safety devices to most existing blinds.

An information leaflet produced by the former Southern Area Health Promotion Department (now Promoting Wellbeing Team) is available from: http://www.promotingwellbeing.info/publications.html?func=startdown&id=18 (please note the website featured on the leaflet www.goodhealthinfo.org.uk no longer exists).

For further information, please contact Nina Daly, Accident Prevention Officer on 3834 4973.