WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is urging parents and caregivers during October to check all window coverings for exposed or dangling cords that could pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children.

Industry leaders, government officials and safety advocates all agree that only cordless window coverings, or those with inaccessible cords, should be used in homes with young children. To heighten public awareness of window-cord dangers, the Council and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have again declared October as National Window Covering Safety Month.

According to information provided by the CPSC, since 1990 more than 200 infants and young children have died from strangling in window cords.

The nationwide public awareness campaign is designed to increase consumer awareness of potential window-cord hazards, as well as to urge parents and caregivers of young children to only use cordless or inaccessible cord window products in homes with young children.

“Parents with young children should replace their corded window coverings with the cordless products available,” explains Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) Executive Director, Peter Rush.  “We encourage consumers to contact WCSC for additional information on options to replace older window coverings.”

The Window Covering Safety Council – which offers free retrofit kits and window-cord safety information – encourages parents and caregivers to follow these basic window cord-safety precautions:

• Move all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces away from windows.
• Keep all window cords well out of the reach of children.
• Install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children.
• Make sure tasseled pull cords are adjusted to be as short as possible.
• Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall with a tension device.
• Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement on inner cords on blinds and shades.

For a free repair kit, call the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 or visit windowcoverings.org.  Consumers should know that some retrofit kits do not address the dangling pull cord hazard associated with many commonly used window blinds.

The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings dedicated to educating consumers about window cords safety. The Council also assists and supports its members in the industry’s ongoing efforts to encourage the use of cordless products in homes with young children, its redesign of corded products and to support the national ANSI/WCMA standard for corded window coverings. WCSC’s activities in no way constitute an assumption of any legal duty owed by its members or any other entity.

CONTACT: Alana Sorrentino – 212.297.2146, [email protected]