2014 was a milestone for the way the industry dealt with the safety of blinds as new regulations came into force. By law, if you are a professional installer of internal blinds, every blind you install must be fitted with a safety device of some kind. Research from RoSPA found that 27 fatalities in babies and young children have occurred since 1999 due to blind cords and chains.
Standards and Regulations
In 2011 the EU issued a Decision (2011/477/EU) entitled:
"Commission Decision on the safety requirements to be met by European standards to address certain risks posed to children by internal blinds, corded window coverings and safety devices pursuant to Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council."
In 2014 the British Standards Institution (BSI) published these in the UK:
- BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014: Internal blinds – performance requirements including safety
- BS EN 16433:2014: Internal blinds – protection from strangulation hazards – test methods
- BS EN 16434:2014: Internal blinds – protection from strangulation hazards – requirements and test methods for safety devices
There are now mandatory requirements which aim to protect babies and small children by:
- Child safe blinds must not be installed into all homes regardless if children live in the property or not.
- Restrictions on the length of the cord or chain
- to avoid hazards, safety devices must be installed on all blinds
- All internal blinds must be installed with appropriate safety critical components
- Safety warnings and product instructions
What to look for in new blinds
If your customers are looking to have a set of blinds installed in their home we have many styles and finishes for them to choose from but they should always consider the way they are operated. We have a range of safety devices which can be applied to our blinds, here a few different systems available on the market.
- Safe by design: There are blinds which have been designed with safety in mind which is usually one that is cordless or has concealed or tensioned cords. Typically these blinds are pushed or pulled into position. Motorised blinds also remove the need for operating cords.
- In-built safety systems: These are already built into the product and do not require additional installation or operation in use.
- Separate safety systems: Where it is not possible to install a cordless blind or a built in safety device, alternative blinds featuring safety devices such as tensioning systems and cleats can be supplied.
If you would like to see our range of blinds, visit our catalogue or sign up for an LCB account to see our extensive database which holds over 5,000 products.
