| The Corded Window Covering Products Regulations proposed by the Department of Health of Canada in 2007 has been approved recently. It aims to protect children against strangulation hazards posed by interior window covering that incorporates a bead chain, cord or any type of flexible looped device in its operation.
The Challenge:
According to the regulations, with immediate effect, corded window covering products advertised, sold or imported into Canada must meet the safety and labelling requirements as stated in the national standard CAN/CSA-Z600 "Safety of Corded Window Covering Products", as amended. However, the regulated product shall not make any reference to the Act or Regulations on its label or in any advertisement. In addition, importers or manufacturers must keep records to demonstrate compliance, for a period of not less than three years after the date of manufacture in Canada or the date of importation of the product.
Notes:
On a side note, a research done by the Parents for Window Blind Safety has revealed that a child dies every 2 weeks from strangulation on corded window treatments, the oldest being 12 years of age. Corded window treatments include (but not limited to), window blinds, mini blinds, venetian blinds, roman shades, cellular shades, corded roll up shades and vertical blinds.
According to statistics, over 768* children have died from corded window treatments since 1973.
* 6/4/97 Journal of the American Medical Association, 182 deaths from 1981-1995 in US alone, maybe as many as 359 fatalities (50% unreported). As of Aug 2004, 384 deaths reported with 50% unreported. Total estimated deaths is 768. All information is taken from Freedom of Information Acts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) database and website and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) website.
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