When it comes to childproofing homes, parents work diligently to make sure all safety essentials are present; from installing dozens of electrical outlet covers to child safety cabinet locks, parents can spend hours going from room to room turning their homes into safe places to live. Many parents will make household safety checklists to make sure nothing is left out, but here’s one danger that many caregivers omit from their lists and overlook – window blind cords.
Strangulation is a quick and silent killer; every month, a child dies as a result of window cord strangulation. Babies and young children up to age 9 have been involved in these accidents; children younger than 3 are at a particularly high risk for injury and death associated with cords.
Between 1996 and 2012, 184 deaths and 101 nonfatal incidents have occurred do to window blind cords, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Most of these accidents occurred in parts of the home that parents perceive as safe – the child’s bedroom or living room. At Parvey & Cavenago, we believe that creating awareness and providing solutions helps parents keep their children out of harm.
Window blind cords are among the CPSC’s list of the “top 5 hazards in the home.” Don’t miss taking these steps to prevent strangulation:
- Dangerous window blinds expose cords on the front, side and back of the item. Take an inventory of all shades and blinds with cords that need to be made safe or replaced.
- Do not place cribs, beds or furniture close to windows.
- Examine window cords regularly to make sure they are out of child’s reach and can’t fold into dangerous loops.
- Replace blinds with cordless window coverings in your home. If unable to replace blinds because of the cost of new, cordless window coverings, contact the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) at 800-506-4636 or at windowcoverings.org for additional safety tips and a free repair kit to make your blinds and home a safer place to live.
Parvey & Cavenago are dedicated to holding companies accountable for selling dangerous products that threaten the lives of children. If your child has been injured or killed because of a window blind cord or another dangerous consumer product in Southwest Florida, please call our product liability attorneys for a free consultation. Let’s protect our children.
