New National Survey Finds Most Consumers are Aware of Strangulation Risk Posed by Certain Corded Window Coverings

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Apr 08, 2019, 12:20 ET

NEW YORK, April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey from the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) found that 81% of adult consumers including 88% of Generation X (born between 1965-1980) and 78% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996), were aware of the strangulation hazard posed to infants and young children from certain corded window coverings. The WCSC study was conducted in a March 2019 survey among 1,000 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older.

Corded window coverings can become a potential serious hazard for infants and young children, who could accidentally become entangled in window covering cords and are one of the 'Top Five Hidden Hazards in the Home' according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

A new historic safety standard, which went into effect on December 15, 2018, requires that a vast majority of window covering products sold in the United States be cordless or have inaccessible or short cords. The standard requires that all stock products sold in stores and online to be cordless or have inaccessible or short cords. Stock products comprise more than 80 percent of all window covering products sold in the U.S. This important milestone is the result of collaboration by the Window Covering Manufacturer's Association, industry, CPSC and consumer advocates, and made possible by ongoing industry innovation, technological advances and new product development.

The Window Covering Safety Council reminds parents, caregivers and grandparents about the potential dangers posed by window covering cords, and urges them to only use cordless window covering products or those that have inaccessible cords or short cords in homes with young children.

"Increasing awareness of the dangers of corded window coverings, industry innovation and implementation of the new safety standard are all important components to enhancing window covering safety," says Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) Executive Director, Peter Rush. "Consumers can continue to look for the Best for Kids™ certification label to identify cordless window covering options that are best suited for homes with young children."

For consumers who may still have corded blinds, the Window Covering Safety Council urges replacing the corded blinds in homes where children live or visit, and offers safety tips such as keeping cribs, beds and furniture away from window blinds.

For more information on window cord safety in the home, visit www.windowcoverings.org. Connect with WCSC on Facebook for more home safety information and ideas.

The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings dedicated to educating consumers about window covering cord safety. The Council also assists and supports its members in the industry's ongoing efforts to encourage the use of cordless products in homes with young children, its redesign of corded products and to support the national ANSI/WCMA standard for corded window coverings. WCSC's activities in no way constitute an assumption of any legal duty owed by its members or any other entity.

CONTACT:
Kristen Kurtz
917-561-2406
[email protected]

SOURCE Window Covering Safety Council