Tag Archive for: UK

Ikea to stop selling blinds with cords

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Pose too much danger to toddlers

Ikea has promised to stop selling window blinds with cords in an effort to improve childsafety.

As of today, it’s stopped selling them in the US, and says it plans to discontinue them internationally by the end of the year.

“Product safety is the highest priority for Ikea, which is why we have been working to develop alternative solutions to exposed cords in window coverings. In 2012, Ikea made the commitment to only offer window blinds and coverings with no or non-accessible cords by January of 2016, and we’re pleased to be able to announce that we’ve met this commitment,” says Heather Spatz, Ikea US country sales manager.

“Ikea is committed to working together with our customers to raise awareness of this important issue and to help families get the knowledge they need to ensure a safer everyday life at home.”

On average, one child a month died in a window blind accident in the US between 1996 and 2012, according to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission – which has named the cords as one of its top five hidden home hazards.

In the UK, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), there have been at least 30 deaths across the UK due to looped blind cords since 1999 – 17 since the start of 2010.

Most such accidents, it says, happen in the bedroom, to children between 16 months and 36 months old. More than half involve children of around 23 months.

At this age, toddlers are mobile, but still have a comparatively heavy head and undeveloped control of their muscles, making it harder to free themselves if they become entangled.

In addition, toddlers’ windpipes are smaller and less rigid than those of adults and older children, meaning that they can suffocate far more quickly.

“It can take as little as seconds for a toddler to lose their life after becoming entangled in a window blind cord or chain, but simple steps – such as securing cords and chains with safety devices and keeping furniture away from windows so that children cannot climb up – can help prevent deaths,” says Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England.

Last month alone, three inquests were carried out into the deaths of toddlers from blind cords.

Two-year-old Roisín Redmond choked to death after becoming caught in a looped blind cord at her grandmother’s home in Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny.

Three-year-old Mohammed Javaid, known as Haseeb, also strangled himself at his Huddersfield home, as did Oxfordshire thirteen-month-old Johnny Doran.

Recent changes to the law mean it’s no longer legal to sell blinds with cords unless the cords are fixed to the wall or have a snap-mechanism that breaks them when more than 4kg of pressure is applied; Ikea is going one further.

But as blinds tend to stay in place for years, the majority of those currently fitted in the UK are likely to pose some danger, and parents are advised to check, if necessary adding a cleat.

Report puts blind cord dangers in the spotlight

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Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement

Report puts blind cord dangers in the spotlight

A report which aims to help save children’s lives by highlighting the dangers of looped blind cords and chains is to be released today (July 9).

The 30-page paper, by the four UK Chief Medical Officers and organisations including the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) Northern Ireland, Public Health Wales, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) and Children in Wales, highlights the dangers looped blind cords and chains pose to young children.

RoSPA is aware that 28 toddlers have been killed by blind cords and chains in the UK between 1999 and 2014, 15 of which occurred since 2010. The report aims to reach out to parents, grandparents and carers about the risk of fatal accidents and how to prevent them.

It calls for more appropriate data to be recorded into deaths and near misses to better identify the scale of the problem.

The report also revealed that there are still millions of potentially unsafe blinds that were fitted in the UK prior to the introduction of new legislation in 2014. The new legislation requires new blinds to be “safe by design” or be supplied with the appropriate child safety devices installed. The report warns that there needs to be continued public awareness raising to reach those families that may be at risk.

Ita McErlean, RoSPA’s home safety manager for Northern Ireland, said: “This report is an important step forward in raising awareness of the potential dangers of looped blind cords. Anything that can help reach homes that still have blinds with looped cords or without the appropriate safety devices is a move in the right direction.

“Sadly, there have been more blind cord deaths across the UK since the report was published, which goes to show how important it is for us to continue to raise awareness among parents, grandparents and carers to ensure that looped blind cords are kept out of the reach of children. Far too many young lives have already been lost.

“These deaths are devastating for parents and families involved and we must do all we can to prevent more deaths and further suffering.”

The report was commissioned after a group, including the CMOs, public health agencies and RoSPA, was set up in 2013 to look at ways to reduce blind cord injuries and deaths.  The report has already proved useful for pushing this issue up the agenda with additional initiatives taking place across the UK since the report was completed.

Dr Michael McBride, CMO for Northern Ireland, said: “The purpose of the report is to help highlight the dangers of looped blind cords and look at ways in which blind cord injuries and deaths can be reduced.

“It can take as little as seconds for a toddler to lose their life after becoming entangled in a window blind cord or chain, but simple steps – such as securing cords and chains with safety devices and keeping furniture away from windows so that children cannot climb on it – can help prevent deaths.

“While the report shows that there has been significant work to address the issue, the fact that there have been further deaths since it was completed means that we must continue to step up our efforts to reduce the risk of unintentional injuries and premature, preventable deaths. There is no room for complacency when it comes to our children’s safety and we can always do more.”

RoSPA worked with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) to strengthen the current European standard relating to looped blind cords, which led to the new legislation being introduced last year.

Nelson Watt, chairman of BBSA’s Child Safety Working Group, said: “The British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) has been pleased to be involved with this report and recognises that the collective work of many stakeholders is vital in raising awareness of blind cord and chain safety. The BBSA will continue to develop its Make it Safe campaign to ensure appropriate messages are communicated regarding child safety and existing window blinds.”

Anyone wanting more information about blind cord safety should visit www.rospa.com/blindcords.

Safety campaign: Parents release heartbreaking final picture of daughter killed in blind cord accident

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safety campaign

A GRIEVING family has teamed up with the Echo to launch a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of blind cords.

 

Toddler Sophie Allen died six days after her mother found her tangled in the looped blind cord in the bedroom of her Sunderland home.

At the two-year-old’s inquest last week, the city’s senior coroner Derek Winter heard that 28 children in the UK have been strangled by looped cords since 1999 – 15 in the last four years.

New safety regulations governing the manufacture of blind cords came into force in February but there are still millions of potentially deadly blinds in family homes across the country.

Now Sophie’s devastated parents, Peter Allen and Danielle Hudson, have joined the Echo in trying to prevent future deaths with our campaign For Sophie’s Sake.

The couple watched in agony as medics at Sunderland Royal Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, battled to save Sophie in April. Tragically, all efforts failed and Sophie’s life support was switched off in the early hours of April 26 after scans showed there was no activity in the toddler’s brain.

They said: “Too many children die because of blind cords. They have been banned in America and other countries.

“The reason being, children still have accidents with blind cords when safety devices are fitted. Devices have failed in the past – cord breakers have not snapped and clips on the walls have been able to be pulled off.

“Basically, these safety devices still don’t prevent blind cord accidents.

“The design of the looped cord is wrong – there is no need to continuously pull a corded blind round and round on a loop.”

The parents, from Redhouse, also have a son and daughter, Jayden and Ameila.

They added: “Our campaign is to make people aware and make them safe for the millions of people that already have blinds fitted in their homes.

“However, our view is that eventually we need to get rid of them altogether.

“Cordless blinds are sold for next to nothing in some places, so why are manufacturers still producing corded blinds?

“We have heard that some blind companies are still fitting blinds without the devices, because the customer is refusing to have them in fear of compromising the warranty on fitted windows.”

Echo editor John Szymanski added: “Sophie’s death was a tragedy which could have been avoided.

“We are fully behind Sophie’s family in both raising awareness of this, and helping to stop it happening again, so no other parents have to go through this kind of grief and agony.”

On the morning Sophie died, her parents heard her playing with her brother in their bedroom at their home in Ramillies Road.

Her mum got up to go to the toilet and saw Sophie’s brother standing on his bed and that a storage unit in the bedroom had tipped over.

He told her Sophie was stuck and Ms Hudson assumed she was hiding.

But when she opened the child gate, she noticed a shadow behind the curtain and realised Sophie had the blind cord around her neck.

Her frantic parents tried to resuscitate the unconscious toddler before an ambulance was called.

An inquest in Sunderland heard that Sophie was “a very inquisitive child” and her death was a tragic accident.

 

New measures are welcomed

 

NEW safety regulations governing the manufacture of blind cords came into force in February.

But safety charity the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) fears there are still millions of the potentially-deadly blinds in homes across the country.

Charity spokeswoman Sheila Merrill said: “The arrival of the new blind cord standard is a welcome development, because it will help to strengthen the safety of all new blinds and save children’s lives.

“But it is important to stress that there are 200 million blinds already fitted in UK properties. This is why it is important to continue to raise awareness among parents and carers of making sure that looped blind cords are kept out of the reach of children. This can be done by fitting a safety device such as a chain/cord-break connector, chain/cord tidy or cleat.

“We urge people not to place a cot, bed, playpen or highchair near a window and only install blinds that do not have a cord, especially in a child’s bedroom.”

 

Support for cause

 

DANIELLE and Peter are supporting another mum who lost her daughter in a blind cord accident.

The couple, who have set up a Facebook page called Blind Cord Safety in the UK, in memory of Sophie, are also in the process of creating a website for their cause, are in touch with Amanda O’Halloran, who lost her 17-month-old daughter Sophia a year ago.

Amanda, from Tirley in Gloucestershire, launched a campaign and petition called Sophia’s Cause, which calls for a ban on all corded blinds being sold.

So far, it has almost 8,000 signatures in support.

 

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/safety-campaign-parents-release-heartbreaking-final-picture-of-daughter-killed-in-blind-cord-accident-1-6666640

PLANTATION SHUTTERS IN 3 WEEKS – MADE IN UK.

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Deva blinds are very pleased to announce that we have a UK supplier for shutters.

Paul Pollard-Fraser, owner of Deva blinds said “I am really pleased that Luxaflex are able to manufacture shutters in their factory in Birmingham.  Before we had to wait 12 weeks for the slow boat from China.  Lot’s of my customers have just moved home and don’t want to wait 12 weeks for their shutters.”

“The faux white shutters come with a 10 year guarantee, are rock solid and will last for years and years, they are not easily knocked and bruised like wooden shutters.”

“Deva blinds make most of our blinds and when we are not in the position to make our blinds we like to source our blinds from UK manufacturers.”

“I think it a great step that we are able to offer plantation shutters that are made in UK and do not cost the earth.

Please contact us for a visit.

 

Tory minister refuses to back mum’s call for blind ban.

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DEFIANT mum Amanda O’Halloran has vowed not to be deterred in her campaign to outlaw loop cord blinds – despite a Government minister saying there were “no plans” to adopt a ban.

The 22-year-old, from Tirley, launched the campaign Sophia’s Cause after her 17-month-old daughter Sophia died by strangling herself with the cord of the window blind in the lounge.
​Sophia Parslow

Sophia Parslow

 

She had been left playing downstairs for a few short minutes when the incident took place.

Amanda and her partner Chris Parslow want all cord blinds to be banned in homes across the UK to prevent any similar tragedies.

After writing to her MP Mark Harper asking what could be done to ban loose cord blinds, the issue was escalated to ministerial level.

But she was disappointed when Michael Fallon, Minister for Business and Enterprise, wrote back to Mr Harper saying there were “no plans to instigate a specific sales ban” on blinds with cords, claiming there were already rigorous safety regulations in place.

Amanda, who grew up in Cheltenham, admitted it was not the response she wanted, but pledged not to let it affect her resolve. She has already gathered 3,000 signatures for her online petition and needs 100,000 to force a Parliamentary debate on the issue.

She said: “Other governments have banned these blinds so why hasn’t the UK followed? I won’t stop until my voice is heard. This is for my beautiful daughter Sophia and every child in the UK.”

Sophia’s death on June 27 was believed to be the 15th UK death linked to this design of window blind since 2010.

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood called for a full debate on the issue.

“We need to start discussing this more seriously in parliament,” he said. “Perhaps an early day motion could be tabled or a meeting requested with Michael Fallon.”

To sign the petition go to epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/55067 and for more information go to the Sophia’s Cause Facebook page.

Read more: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Tory-minister-refuses-mum-s-blind-ban/story-19872808-detail/story.html#ixzz2ge8d3fPJ

Impossible not to blame myself for tragedy

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MUM Amanda O’Halloran says it has been impossible not to blame herself for a freak incident in which her 17-month-old daughter strangled herself on a blind cord.

Toddler Sophia was playing at the family home, in Tirley, when she got her neck caught in the beaded loop and fell over. She died in seconds while her mum popped to the loo.

Amanda said despite being plagued with guilt, she knew what happened to Sophia could have happened to anyone of that age.

Now through Sophia’s Cause, she and her partner Chris Parslow are campaigning to get looped cord blinds banned across the UK – as well as urging parents to use cordless blinds.

Amanda, 22, said: “Of course I blamed myself for what happened to start with. But every parent, if they are being honest, will tell you that it is impossible to keep an eye on their child every minute of the day. Everyone has to go to the toilet at some point.

“I know that by speaking out about my story I am risking some people criticising me as a bad mum. But I know that I wasn’t. Sophia was so well-loved.”

Sophia died on the morning of June 27.

“I still have to live with that image in my head and it is something I will never forget,” added hotel receptionist Amanda.

“But I also have so many happy memories of Sophia.”

She is believed to be the 28th person in the UK to have died on a blind cord since 1999.

The British Blind and Shutter Association said it is making changes to ensure safety devices come with cord blinds.

Amanda has spoken to her MP, Forest of Dean’s Mark Harper who said he would comment once he had spoken to to her again.

Stroud MP Neil Carmichael said: “Safety in the home is so important. I think it’s important to identify issues like this and act so they can’t happen again.”

Gloucester MP Richard Graham said: “This is a ghastly human tragedy, but I don’t think we should rush into changes into the law.”

To sign the petition to have cord blinds banned at epetitions.direct. gov.uk/petitions/55067.

Read more: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Impossible-blame-tragedy/story-19863105-detail/story.html#ixzz2gSZ5q299

Couple’s campaign for blind cord safety

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_70174925_sophia2

A couple from Gloucestershire whose baby daughter died after becoming trapped in the cord of a window blind have started a campaign to get certain types of cord banned in the UK.

Amanda O’Halloran and Chris Parslow believe that safety measures do not go far enough after their 17-month-old, Sophia, died in June.

The British Blinds and Shutter Association has its own awareness campaign, called Make It Safe, and says it is fully committed, along with its members, to help eliminate the risk associated with looped cords, chains and tapes used on window blinds.

Madeleine Ware reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24321541

http://www.makeitsafe.org.uk

Bloc blinds have done the maths.

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Bloc Blinds has a BBA certificate to prove the insulation properties of its blinds, making them even more attractive to specifiers, writes Charlie Mainwaring. Bloc Blinds, the UK designer and manufacturer of simple, clever and innovative blinds, is ensuring that its product offering is targeted to all decision-makers including those that have the ability to specify their products at the initial stages of the planning process.

Architects, specifiers and developers are all increasingly trying to ensure their buildings meet the necessary green regulations and at Bloc we understand the need to make our products accountable to the standards set within the industry. The subject of thermal blinds has become very important over recent years as heating costs have increased and blinds companies are focusing on the power of this factor in promoting blinds.

In short, all blinds types are thermal blinds and all blinds will help reduce heat loss to a certain extent, but where the subject starts to be confusing is when the customer asks, ”How much will I save?”. The answer to this question is almost impossible to give, as each project would need to be analysed in detail to assess the heating input, the cost of fuel, the heating cycle and dozens of other structural factors that determine heat loss.

BlocOut blinds offer the highest thermal performance of all Bloc’s blinds by technically sealing off warm indoor air from the cold surfaces inside the window recess. This is only made possible by the presence of the side channels and the rubber gasket seal which runs along the bottom of the handle. Brush seals built into the side channels  further reduce airflow around the fabric.

To architects, specifiers and developers, all elements need to be measured and quantified and at Bloc we are the only blind system that can provide a British Board of Agrément (BBA) certificate proving its insulation properties. This helps our products to be specified at the outset of the project as values for heat loss can be calculated in the overall performance of the window cavity.

The BBA certificate provided against the performance of the BlocOut range has shown heat loss reductions of up to 43% on single-glazed windows, 33% on double-glazed windows and 12% on triple-glazed windows. This system also has the benefit of being total blackout, and so has the sales advantage of being top of its class in both the summer and winter seasons. Manual and automated control systems are available across the range as well as child-friendly design features.

At Bloc we believe we are innovators in this industry and are constantly looking at ways in which we can challenge the norms within it. Our sales and marketing team is now dedicated to working alongside architects and developers in ensuring that our products are accountable and on budget. As we develop our relationship with architects and designers we are ensuring that we are doing everything we can to maximise our impact within the industry from the ground up.

devablinds.co.uk  are suppliers and installers of Bloc blinds.  Please contact us for further information.

New Year – New Look

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Why not have a new look to your house in 2013 ?

Get rid of your nets and curtains and replace them with blinds.

Wooden venetian blinds are very popular these days and are inexpensive as they are made in Asia and just cut to size in UK.

If you want to update your look please do not hesitate in booking an appointment with me.

Happy New year .

I look forward to helping you bring your house into 2013.

Paul

07513 031602

[email protected]

 

The making of a Luxaflex blind

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Here you will see a video of the manufacture of blinds by the Luxaflex factory in Hyde, Manchester.

Made in UK for the people in UK.