Discord over window covering safety

The latest Window Covering Manufacturers Association statement on the window covering safety standard contained some good news -- blinds are getting better and safer. And the WCMA will probably revise its guidelines on cordless blinds to reflect the improvements.

That attitude raised red flags, according to the co-founder and CEO of SelectBlinds.com, the online retailer that went all cordless earlier this year.

The window blind industry's voluntary standard addresses a safety issue in homes across the country. More than 20 children a year in the United States, on average, are injured or killed by a window covering cord, according to statistics maintained by Parents for Window Blind Safety (PFWBS).

(Note: The term "voluntary" in the description means the manufacturers worked with regulatory agencies to develop the standard. The standard is a requirement, not a voluntary option.)

According to Al Silverberg, SelectBlinds.com’s co-founder and CEO, while the WCMA’s statement is encouraging that improvement is on the horizon, WCMA’s effort falls short if the organization only plans to address some and not all of the window products sold in the United States. Silverberg also notes there is no mention of consumer education.

“Historically, the window covering industry has proven time and time again to lack the ability to effectively police itself as evident by the needless cord-related window covering deaths and injuries of hundreds of children,” Silverberg said. “There is only one, simple option to consider for an updated window covering safety standard and that is cordless or no accessible cords. I believe WCMA should make a standard that effective January 1, 2018, window coverings sold in the USA must have no accessible cords. It shouldn’t take months and multiple options to decide the updated standard.”

Silverberg testified in June before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), including Chairman Elliot Kaye, requesting CPSC consider issuing a mandate for window covering products to be cord free by January 1, 2018. He reinforced that the time for self-regulation had passed, that the industry is capable of solving the issue, and that consumer education around the topic is necessary.

“The window covering industry has a key opportunity to completely transform a broken industry and to prevent needless deaths and permanent injuries. Let’s get it right this time as the updated safety standard is being formulated,” Silverberg said. “We at SelectBlinds.com are here to collaborate on an updated safety standard and can leverage our experiences of going cordless.”

SelectBlinds.com made the decision to go cordless last year and transitioned the company’s stock and custom product offerings by March 31, 2016, becoming the first to do so in the custom window covering industry, the company said.

SelectBlinds.com has established a Twitter hashtag: #GoCordless.