Blind cord safety must be taken more seriously with children, warns accident prevention charity

09 August 2023

RoSPA is warning that people need to be more aware of blind cord safety, especially those with young children, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

As new data shows that nine children died from blind cord strangulation in the UK between 2019 and 2022, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is warning that blind cord safety must be taken more seriously.

According to new research by RoSPA, thousands of homes across Britain have non-compliant blinds fitted and families do not know what to look for to ensure their child is safe.

New standards for blinds were introduced in 2014 dictating that new blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed at the point of manufacture or be sold with the blind.

A survey carried out on behalf of the charity found that most of those who took part did not know about the changes and consequently did not check if their blinds were compliant.

More than 2,000 people took part in the poll, which revealed that almost two-in-three parents of under-fives haven’t received any guidance on correct blind cord installation or usage.

Other key findings include:

It comes after the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD)’s recent report on the cause of child deaths in the UK, showed nine children died from blind cord strangulation between March 2019 and April 2022.

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