Valentine's Day: Tips to Keep Your Loved Ones Safe

Check Your Home for Potential Window Cord Hazards

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Feb 09, 2012, 08:10 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Valentine's Day is associated with everything sweet---from candy and hearts to the appreciation of those you love. Nowhere is that love greater than that of a parents' love for their child and the desire to ensure that their child is kept safe. While some safety measures around the house are routine, there are some potential hazards that could be dangerous for young children.

According to information provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, since 1990, more than 200 infants and young children have died from accidentally strangling in window cords. With this in mind, here are a few tips provided by the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) reminding parents to practice window cord safety and to make safety a priority in the home:

Install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children. Replace window blinds, corded shades and draperies manufactured before 2001 with today's safer products.
Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall.
Make sure cribs are properly assembled and meet current safety standards, and that crib mattresses fit snugly.
Keep all window pull cords and inner lift cords out of the reach of children. Make sure that tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the floor or wall. Make sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement of inner lift cords.
Lock cords into position whenever horizontal blinds or shades are lowered, including when they come to rest on a windowsill.

The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings. The Council 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 the safety of corded window coverings. WCSC's activities in no way constitute an assumption of any legal duty owed by its members or any other entity. Consumers wishing to retrofit rather than replace their older window coverings can order free retrofit devices through WCSC's website at www.windowcoverings.org or its toll-free phone line at 1-800-506-4636.

Contact: Alana Sorrentino
+1-212-297-2146
[email protected]

SOURCE Window Covering Safety Council