Last week was Family Safety Week 2016. Created by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Family Safety Week aims to raise awareness of the most common accidents and how they can be prevented. The theme of this year’s Family Safety Week was under-fives in the home. At Loveless Cook Blinds, this cause is especially important to us: blind cord safety is something we are involved in.
Young children, especially those ages between 16 and 36 months, are at risk from looped window blind cords. By installing child safe blinds with in-built safety systems, or by adding separate safety systems to your existing blinds, blind cord accidents can be avoided. All of our blinds comply with current safety standards, and we supply a range of blind cord safety devices that can make your blinds safer.
According to RoSPA data, 750,000 children under the age of five were admitted to A&E as the result of accidents in the home last year. A shocking 95% of all under-fives admitted to A&E in 2015 were there as a result of accidents in the home.
In a press release, Sheila Merrill, RoSPA’s public health adviser, said:
“These statistics show just how easy it can be for a child under five to have an accident at home, in the place where we think that they should be the safest. No matter how vigilant parents are, there is always the possibility that something has been missed, and some other things may not always be obvious dangers. We want to make sure that parents have the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent the distress and heartbreak accidents to children cause.â€
RoSPA has been working with the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) to improve blind cord safety through the Make It Safe campaign since 2009. As members of the BBSA, Loveless Cook Blinds is proud to support the Make It Safe campaign.
A 2014 report by RoSPA estimated that there are 100-200 million window blinds installed across the UK. If not fitted with the proper safety devices, they could pose a danger to young children. Make sure yours aren’t.
For more information about blind cord safety, visit the Make It Safe website.
RoSPA provides more details about preventing accidents in the home at the RoSPA Parent Hub, which launched at the end of Family Safety Week 2016.
Loveless Cook Blinds would like to thank RoSPA and Confused.com for giving us permission to use statistics and information from their press release.
