Window Cord Safety

Your customers have high standards for safety. So do we.

As a leader in the window coverings industry, Graber has added the following features to our window treatments to protect consumers from potentially serious accidents:

• Tension pulleys and tie-down devices to keep continuous-loop pull cords taut
• Tassel ends on lift cords that reduce risk of entanglement
• Cord stops on horizontal blinds that prevent internal cords from creating a hazardous loop.
  
• Cordless lift and motorized lift options that offer ultimate safety‒eliminating the standard cord that could strangle children or pets
• Breakaway tassels that separate into pieces when weight is applied, preventing entanglements in cord loops

Position Yourself as an Expert in Cord Safety

• Provide a safety primer. Remind the consumer of the importance of keeping cords out of reach of small children. Offer to install safety cord cleats, if they are needed.
• Discuss safety in the home. Ask about spaces where children are typically present and always suggest a cordless product for children’s bedrooms.
• Explain the Best for Kids program. Graber actively participates in the
  Best for Kids certification program administered by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA). Give your customers an overview of this important program and show them our Best for Kids-certified cordless options.
• Recommend an informal inspection. Encourage the consumer to evaluate all of the other window coverings currently in their home. Have them look for long cords, knots, uncontrolled loops, and other potential hazards.
• Do not remove tags or warning stickers. Warning labels are typically located on the bottom rail of a window covering product and have very specific language and sizes that were developed in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They include a pictogram, are bright orange in color and contain warnings in several languages.
  

• Go by the book. Advise the consumer that we install all tension devices per the American National Standards Institute/Window Covering Manufacturers Association standards and any tie-down cleats provided with their blinds.
• Talk about stop beads. All blinds with accessible inner cords require an inner cord stop bead which helps prevent a child from creating a loop that could lead to strangulation. Our policy is to position the stop beads two inches or less below the headrail. These beads are not needed on cordless blinds or blinds with a cord joiner.

In addition, please recommend that your customers review the following:

Guidelines from the Window Covering Safety Council

The Window Covering Safety Council urges parents and caregivers to check all windows for potential cord hazards and make the necessary safety updates:

Install only cordless window coverings in bedrooms and sleeping areas for young children.

Replace window blinds, corded shades, and draperies manufactured before 2001 with products that meet updated safety standards.

If replacement is not possible, repair window blinds, corded shades, and draperies manufactured before 2001 with retrofit cord kits, available at windowcoverings.org or by calling 1-800-506-4636.

Move all cribs, beds, furniture, and toys away from windows and cords. Keep all window pull cords and inner lift cords out of children’s reach. Make sure that tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the floor or wall. Cord stops must be properly installed and adjusted to limit the movement of inner lift cords.

Lock cords into position whenever horizontal blinds or shades are lowered, including when they come to rest on a window sill.