Window Blind Manufacturers, Safety Advocates Continue to Disagree Over Standards

January 4, 2012 – Failure to completely eliminate exposed cords on window blinds and shades and decrease the risk of injuries to children has become a major issue in the ongoing battle between safety groups and the window blind industry.  Advocates warn that children can and do get caught in the cords that hold the blinds together or the cords that are used to pull blinds up and down killing about one child each month.

Blind manufacturers have set guidelines that would require blinds to pass durability tests.  They also have urged parents to use only cordless blinds in young children’s bedrooms and proposed a required warning label about the strangulation risks.  However, safety advocates feel that the less-strict rules being adopted won’t do anything to decrease the number of injuries or deaths.  Additionally, advocate groups argue that proposed warnings don’t explicitly tell parents not to use the products if children are in the home. However they are

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Inez Tenenbaum says if the window blinds industry does not strengthen their product safety standards and continues to ignore demands from federal regulators to eliminate exposed cords on blinds, the agency will consider passing mandatory standards.  In the past, the agency has recalled a number of window blinds and shades, including a recall in 2009 of 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds because of strangulation risks.

The Philadelphia product liability attorneys at Messa & Associates have pursued many cases involving injuries and death to children as a result of products with manufacturing and design defects.  We combine our years of experience, thorough research, and the knowledge of highly regarded experts to prepare these cases.  If your child has been seriously injured as a result of a window blind cord, please contact us at 1-877-MessaLaw.