50 Seconds Can Change Your Life
Aaron O’Connell
29.12.2011
IT takes about fifty seconds to make a cup of tea or coffee. It also takes about fifty seconds to send a text to a friend. But did you know that an innocent child can have its poor life cut short by strangulation in an unsafe cord or chain operated window blind in fifty seconds?
The length of time I have quoted above is correct. Statistics have shown this to be true. Indeed it is also proven that that unfortunate child will have lost consciousness in approximately ten seconds when it is hanging from window blind cord or chain and unable to support its own weight.
The Statistics
In 1998, in a sample of hospitals in the 15 Member Sates of the European Union, 129 children were hospitalised due to an injury involving a window blind loop or drapery cord. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that one or two children die every year after becoming entangled in the cords of a blind. More recently, the Commission has become aware of ten fatal accidents involving children aged between 15 and 36 months that occurred in Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Turkey in the period 2008 to 2010. Here in Ireland there have been eight fatalities, four of which have occurred in the last four years. In the United States 119 fatalities and 111 near-misses involving corded window coverings were reported to have occurred since 1999. In Canada, 28 fatalities and 23 near-misses have been linked to the same products since 1986. In Australia, at least 10 children have been accidentally strangled by blinds cords since 2000. However, these figures capture only a part of the problem, as many such accidents are not reported.
Research indicates that most accidental deaths involving blind cords happen in bedrooms and the children concerned are aged between 16 months and 36 months. Over half these accidents happen to children around 23 months. Although fully mobile at that age, children find it difficult to free themselves if they become entangled in the cords, as their heads still weigh more in proportion to their bodies compared to adults, and their muscular control is not yet fully developed. In addition, their windpipes have not yet fully developed and are thus smaller and less rigid than in adults and older children, so that they suffocate more quickly if their necks are constricted.
The Solutions
Now, I’m not proposing that we monitor our children 24/7. That’s impossible, even with modern technology. It doesn’t take the newest of gadgets to make corded window blinds safe from our children. What I am suggesting is that there are simple and effective solutions.
Each type of operating system must be treated separately. A safety solution for a chain-operated blind isn’t suitable for the operating system of, say, a cord operated blind. I have addressed this issue in my websites, windowblindsafety.ie and childsafety.ie, where suitable and effective solutions are presented for each different type of window blind.
The Options
Let’s take a look at the options available:
Figure 1
Chain operated window blinds, typically roller, vertical louver, roman and mono-command venetians, should be made safe by installing a tension device (See Figure 1). Once installed correctly this will hold the chain taut (under tension) and won’t require further consumer participation.
Figure 2
Window blinds, which are operated by pull cords, require a number of solutions to make them safe from strangulation. Firstly, the tassel needs to be replaced with one that will break away when a child gets entangled in the loop. Then an accumulation device (for example a cleat) is required that will allow the consumer to tie off the cords out of reach of young children (See Figure 2). This solution requires consumer participation, therefore it is vital that it is used, particularly when the blind is raised and the pull cord is at it’s longest.
The inner cords of cord-operated blinds are of particular danger to children. Mario “MJ” Williams Jr died in October in the US after he became entangled in the inner cords of a Roman blind. Please refer to “US Safety Plans Too Lax” on my website. The solution in this case would have been to install breakaway clips which would eliminate the hazardous loop when the weight of a child is applied to the cord.
Figure 3
Inner cords in venetian blinds are also a danger. The solution in this instance is to install cord stops (See Figure 3). One cord stop is required per cord and these will prevent a loop from being created in which a child can fit its head. It is imperative that these stops are positioned correctly, ideally within 150mm on the head rail. If a child pulls on the inner cord of a blind the cord stops will raise towards the head rail and will not be able to go any further. A hazardous loop will not be created!
The safety solutions that I have covered above are cost effective. They cost from €1.50 to €4.00 to purchase and not more than five minutes to install. They can be purchased from Child Safety.ie.