How to Childproof Roller Blinds
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by: Guest
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Corded roller blinds have proved to be one of the furnishings parents should not integrate into the design of children rooms and playrooms given the number of accidents involving children under the age of three they have caused. Between the years 1991 and 2001, hundreds of children with roller blinds related injuries have been brought to emergency rooms. Some of these accidents involved children sleeping or playing in cribs or playpens situated near windows with rollers. Other cases were referring to children climbing on furniture objects placed also placed near windows with roller blinds. Investigations undertaken indicated a single culprit: the long cords of the rollers, which used to form a loop at the end, in which a children could easily get entangled. The reports were indicating mostly minor injuries but unfortunately, cases of death by strangulation were also recorded. Comprehending the threats corded roller blinds pose, manufacturers around the world introduced several upgrade kits on the market, designed to minimize the risks children were exposed to. Safety tassels designed to remove the long cords and the afferent loop were introduced along with cord cleats and cord tensioners which, when securely fixed onto a wall near the window, made the control cords hard to reach by children. Also, parents were advised to cut from the length of the cords so as to be at least 1.6 metres from above the floor level and to move any piece of furniture which could help children reach the cords of the blinds away from the window. Although the number of casualties decreased considerably, accidental injuries continued to be reported. Aiming not only to minimize but to completely eliminate the dangers roller blinds pose to children, blinds manufacturers developed a new generation of rollers equipped with fully integrated safety devices. The construction of these new window treatments complies with the latest regulations in child safety and several tests show that they provide complete protection against accidental injuries . The innovative mechanism implemented in the design of these rollers allows the control cords to be automatically released when heavy pressure, such as the weight of an entangled child, is applied on them. As a result, injuries and the danger of accidental strangulation are completely eliminated. Childproofing your windows and the roller blinds attached to them is an important child safety measure. It is advisable that roller blinds be childproof by using upgrade safety kits or by replacing the roller blinds manufactured before the year 2001with new models. |
About the Author
Author of numerous articles on child safety around the house, Stewart Austin has written this article in support of the safe roller blinds available on the market.
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