Industry News
Child Safety
BS EN 13120 – Child Safety For Blinds is a
new piece of legislation that has recently come
into effect. The British Standards Institute
published the document on the 28th February
2014 with immediate effect.
What does this mean?
All blinds with cords and loops must be
removed or made safe to comply.
Where does this apply?
All blinds that are installed in a premesis where
there is likely to be children between the ages
of 0-42 months must comply with the new
legislation for child safety. This will include
places such as homes, hospitals, hotels,
churches, shops, schools and general public
places.
How to comply
All blinds, cords and loops must be secured
to the wall with a safety device at no lower
than 150cm from the floor. Any cords or loops
that are either unsecured or secured at below
this height will be deemed unsafe and will not
comply with the new regulations.
For low level windows that are unable to
adhere to the 150cm rule, a maximum on
a 20cm loop may be used. This is proving
difficult for manufacturers and customers alike
as it’s not a very practical way of opening and
closing blinds. In this case, manufacturers are
working on break-away devices for low level
windows but they are still in the early stages
of development. Some manufacturers have
already made these products available while
still working to improve them, while other
manufactuerers are releasing products over
the next few months.
Local blind companies and their suppliers and
manufacturers are still working together to
produce compliant tracks and headrails for
blinds as the full details of the new regulartions
were not released until the 28th of February.
Therefore, they are still working hard on
developing new systems with break-away
devices to ensure that all blinds at any window
height will comply and be safe for use in areas
where small children will be present.
The blind safety is a hot topic in the closed
Facebook group named CABMFF - The
Curtain and Blind Makers Friendly Forum.
All interior designers, blind suppliers and
manufacturers are making a continuous effort
to firstly understand the new regulations as
well as develop products and educate their
customers. Be sure to ask about child safety
when having new blinds installed to make sure
you are in the best, most expert hands.