NEW YORK —The latest information compiled by Opinion Research Corporation’s Caravan® for the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) concluded that 85 percent of Americans surveyed are aware that the pull-cords on certain drapes and window blinds can pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children. Moreover, 76 percent of Americans surveyed are aware of the potential strangulation hazard associated with the interior cords running through the slats of some window blinds.This survey is based on interviews conducted in January, 2013 with 506 men and 501 women, 18 years of age and older living in the continental United States. This year’s study consisted of 657 interviews taken from the landline sample and 350 interviews taken from cell phone sample. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), corded window coverings are one of the top five hidden hazards in American homes, with infants and children dying each year from accidentally strangling in window cords. To maximize window-cord safety when young children are present, consumers are urged to follow these safety guidelines:
- Move all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces away from windows.
- Keep all window cords well out of the reach of children.
- Install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children.
- Make sure tasseled pull cords are as short as possible. Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall.
- Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit inner-cord movement.
To learn more about window-cord safety, or to order free retrofit kits, go to the Window Covering Safety Council’s web site at www.windowcoverings.org, or phone toll-free at 1-800-506-4636. *The Caravan® study has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
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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 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 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.