Curtain Cord Safety - Make It Safe Campaign

You may have recently seen in the press the dangers posed to young children by the risk of becoming entangled on looped cords on curtain tracks and blinds.

Last year 6 children died after getting entangled on blind cords alone.  The children at most risk are those between 16 months to 36 months old and most of the accidents happen in the bedroom.  The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in 2004 called upon the blind industry to voluntarily start providing devices and making changes to reduce and ultimately eliminate these accidents entirely.  Curtain tracks and poles had not been included in the initial campaign but they are no less responsible and can be just as dangerous.

Tracks-Direct: part of the make it safe campaign

We at Tracks-Direct are an active partner in the “make it Safe” campaign.  In an effort to eliminate these accidents entirely we supply a cord safety device free with all purchases and we will also supply additional cord safety devices free to any of our customers upon request.

If you are thinking about purchasing a curtain track, pole or blind we have put together some points to consider before purchasing, ensuring that your curtain tracks and poles can be made as safe as possible.  We have also added other potential hazards that can possibly cause accidents to children.

• Install curtain tracks and poles that do not have a cord or an especially in a child's bedroom.  When fitting electrical tracks make sure wires are either tacked to the wall or concealed within the wall or trunking
• Avoid placing a child's cot, bed, playpen or highchair near a window
• Pull cords on curtains and blinds should be kept short and out of reach of children
• Use a cleat, cord tidy, tension pulley or safety device to secure curtain or blind cords to the wall
• Do not hang toys or objects that could be a hazard on the cot or bed
• Don't hang drawstring bags where a small child could get their head through the loop of the drawstring.

Curtain track, pole and blind Cords should never be cut even as a short term solution.  Cutting the cord in the wrong place can make the curtain track, pole or blind inoperable.  It will also lead to one cord becoming much longer than the other which increases the risk of a child becoming

entangled. The cut cords can also become entangled and resulting in the reformation of a loop defying the very purpose of cutting them.

We have many products that can eliminate the need for cords such as hand drawn products that can be operated with draw rods to avoid fouling the curtains, or electrical tracks that can be operated using switches, timers and remotes.  These options can eliminate the potential for danger to toddlers and an option is available for any budget.