Child Safety in Households and How It Relates to Roller Blinds
A popular choice in households, roller blinds have become the prevalent window dressing type due to their multiple advantages: light filtering window coverings which can be found in a variety of designs and which can be easily positioned with a simple pull of the control system for full privacy or an unobstructed view of the outside.
However, reports analyzing the frequency of accidental injuries inflicted on children that have been related to manually operated window coverings have drawn attention to the fact that however appealing roller blinds might be in design, they might also be a dangerous choice for households with small children since it is a well known fact that constant parent or adult supervision is impossible to ensure. That is why the blinds industry has put serious effort and resources into coming up with viable solutions to this conundrum.
Guidelines as to the most straightforward actions house owners can take to increase the security of each room have been issued by the British Blinds and Shutters Association and they relate to furniture positioning in relation to manually controlled window coverings: set furniture away from window coverings and seek proactive solutions that would make dangerous controls hard to reach by toddlers.
What makes roller blinds a dangerous choice for homes with children is the control chain which forms a loop at the end where children can get caught and end up seriously injured. For chain controlled roller blinds various child safety mechanisms have been devised. That is why when purchasing roller blinds the control chain will be equipped with an easy break chain connector which joins the ends of the chain after it has been shortened to be hard to reach by children and which splits when pressure is applied. Where possible, especially for blinds which are installed close to the wall, the chain can also be stretched and fitted alongside the blind with the aid of a tie down clip.
However, a new generation of roller blinds has also been devised. The new spring operated roller blinds are 100% child safe and recommended for use in nurseries and other rooms where children spend time unsupervised since they have a new and improved design. A more compact structure incorporates the control mechanism inside the headrail of the blind and a simple tugging action on the bottom part of the fabric section activates the spring operated system used to raise or lower the blind. With no external controls, these blinds no longer pose a threat to the physical integrity of
children.
Since window blinds have become a household item present in every room of the house, when making a choice between various solutions customers must bare in mind that design and overall costs are not the only criteria to be taken into account. For residential areas where children spend time unattended child safety is also a major factor. It is always advisable to go for the products which pose as little risk as possible and, when possible, as in the case of roller blinds go for the type that eliminates risks all together as is the case with spring operated roller blinds.
Blinds UK
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