Babies and young children can accidentally strangle or hang themselves on looped curtain and blind cords, the Australian Government warned today.
Launching a national blind cord safety awareness campaign, Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Spokesman Ross Cameron, whose responsibilities include consumer safety, said that 11 toddlers have died this way in Australia. The campaign is a joint initiative of the Australian Treasury and Department of Health and Ageing.
"A child can entangle their head in the loop created by a blind cord. If the child then tries to sit or falls down, they can hang themselves in the loop. The cord or chain loop used to open and close vertical blinds can also strangle children, " Mr Cameron said.
The Australian Government has worked with the states and industry to have new blinds and curtains incorporate safer design features and include warning labels.
"The Blind Manufacturers Association of Australia endorses this awareness campaign," said BMAA President Joe Turner. "We want to ensure the safety of families who buy window furnishing products from our members across Australia."
"The blind manufacturing industry has acted very responsibly on this issue," Mr Cameron said. "But new product designs and warning labels can't address the millions of older blinds in Australian homes ? or replace the need for parental supervision and vigilance."
"These child deaths are preventable," Mr Cameron said. "Parents and carers can take simple steps, like making sure cords are out of reach of children, and winding the dangling cord around a cleat, available cheaply from any hardware store."
Blind cord safety materials, which illustrate the steps parents can take to minimise strangulation hazards, are being distributed through a range of organisations across Australia. To get copies of the Safety Alert! Blind & Curtain Cords brochure and poster, call 1300 305 866 (for the cost of a local call). Or order online at the Australian Government's consumer information site, www.consumersonline.gov.au.