October Become National Window Covering Safety Month.
- Window Fashions Magazine (D&WC - August, 2003)

    The window-covering industry and government officials have declared October as National Window Covering Safety Month and urge parents with young children to repair of replace their older corded blinds and shades with today's safer products.

    The u.s. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) say the month-long campaign will call attention to window-cord strangulation hazards and will launch and official recommendation that pre-2001 corded window coverings be repaired or replaced with the safer products now in the marketplace.

    The unusual information and promotion campaign will be identified with a "Kids, Cords, Caution," safety slogan for use in manufacturer and retailer promotions as well as with WCSC-directed media, information and public relation efforts.

    Unlike most window-cord safety education efforts of the past, the National Window Covering Safety Month campaign will place strong emphasis on reaching consumers at the retail level. "Kids, Cords, Caution" promotional signage and related marketing activities will be used to create in store consumer awareness of cord-safety concerns. In addition, point-of-purchase signs displaying the CSPC insignia will urge consumer to replace their pre-2001 window coverings with new ones.

    The Window Covering Safety Council will carry out umbrella public relations and marketing activities for the campaign. This includes developing news releases and feature stories for the broadcast and print media, cooperative promotion efforts with other safety and parent groups, special safety-month pages on its Web site and campaign kick-off activities with the CPSC staff and commissioner's office.

    WCSC will distribute promotional kits to its members this summer. The kits include a description of the campaign, new releases, sample ad slicks, suggested promotional activities, and camera ready artwork for the "Kids, Cords, Caution" logo and the CPSC-insigna poster urging consumers to purchase new window coverings.

    Since 1994, WCSC has spearheaded the industry's redesign of corded products in response to child strangulation concerns. In 1995, looped pull cords were eliminated from all two-corded blinds and pleated shades. In 1997, The ANSI/WCMA product safety standard came into effect, calling for access-limited cord designs, permanently attached tie-downs and warning hang tags. In 2001, cord stops were required for all horizontal blinds and shades to eliminate inner-cord strangulation concerns, and the ANSI/WCMA safety standards was revised.    

    In addition, the WCSC continues to operate its national window cord-safety information and education program and to provide consumers with free retrofit tassels, tie-downs and cord stops for repairing older window coverings through its Web site (www.windowcoverings.org) and its toll-free phone line at (800) 506-4636. ‚