Child safety window blinds

Here at Gilroy Interiors, we welcome the introduction of new child safety standards for window blinds. You may be aware of past incidents where small children and some pets have become entangled by blind cords resulting in their injury or accidental death. This is why new legislation has been introduced in the form of European Standard EN13120:2009+A1:2014.

It’s aim is to prevent window blinds from posing a risk to the lives of young children.

All new blinds must be "safe by design" or be supplied with the appropriate child safety devices installed. This means that where there is a loop that is present, or could be created, a safety device must be installed at the point of the manufacture. These safety devices either break under pressure, tension the cord / chain or provide the facility to store cord(s) out of reach. Professional installers must fit these devices but if you are fitting blinds yourself, follow the instructions supplied with the product and make sure you fit any safety device.

• The standard also imposes a maximum cord and chain length:
• The blind cord / chain must be positioned at least 1.5m above the floor.

With this in mind, we ask for your installation height (the height from the floor at which the top of the blind is to be positioned).

This information is optional but if you do not give an installation height, then the cord will be less than or equal to 1m for blinds with a drop of upto 2.5m. If the blind is longer than 2.5m the cord and chain length will be less than or equal to the blind drop size less 1.5m.

More information about the new legislation is available from:

http://www.makeitsafe.org.uk/
http://www.bbsa.org.uk/domestic/child-safety/26

You can also discuss any concerns with one of our team or request a leaflet. Call us on 0800 825 0034 or 01462 455959.

We also offer a range of cordless blinds where the dangers posed by cords simply do not exist
Here are some examples of ‘Luxaflex’ cordless blinds: