Federal Safety Commission Requires Manufacturers of Window Coverings to “Go Cordless” to Protect Young Children

By Yehudit Garmaise

To prevent young children from becoming “quickly and silently strangled on pull cords,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently required manufacturers to create window coverings without any cords. 

Calling cordless window coverings, “the safest option for children,” the CPSC voted to prevent manufacturers from creating window covering with any types of cords that are used to open and close blinds and shades.

An average of nine children ages five-years-old and under, die every year from strangulation from window blinds, shades, draperies, and other window coverings with cords, reported the CPSC.

After the CPSC called cords, “a substantial product hazard,” the new rule to go cordless will go into effect 180 days after the CPSC publishes its passage in the Federal Register, which is published by Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“Young children can quickly and silently become strangled on pull cords, continuous loop cords, inner cords, or any other accessible cords longer than eight inches on window coverings,” the CPSC reported on its website. “Less stringent measures have historically been ineffective in addressing the risks of strangulation.”