WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND THIS VIDEO DISTURBING.
This harrowing video has been released showing how easily toddlers can be strangled by window blind cords, in a bid to cut the tragic number of deaths every year. At least 31 children in the UK have died as a result of blinds cords since 1999.
The message is that no parent can watch a child 24/7. New window blind safety legislation came into force in 2014. However many homes have blinds fitted before that date and older blinds need to be checked.
Dr Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, said: “The video aims to highlight the dangers of looped blind cords and look at ways in which blind cord injuries and deaths can be reduced.”
ADVICE TO PARENTS OVER BLIND CORDS
If they have a looped control chain or cord and do not have a safety device fitted, then you can easily install one of the many devices available.
Ensure that all operating blind cords and chains cannot be reached by children.
Move cots, beds and any furniture away from windows and blinds – remember children love to climb.
When buying a new blind, always look for one that does not contain cords, has concealed cords or has an in-built safety device and that complies with the new European Standards.
Dr McBride continued: “New blinds are covered by improved European safety legislation that came into force in 2014. However many homes have blinds fitted before this, so it is important to check them all.”
Mary Black, assistant director of health and social well-being improvement with the PHA, said: “It is impossible to watch over our children 24 hours a day, so it is essential that we take time to make the home environment as safe as possible.
“As the video highlights, it can take as little as seconds for a toddler to lose their life after becoming entangled in a window blind cord or chain.
“Simple steps – such as securing cords and chains with safety devices and keeping furniture away from windows so that children cannot climb on them – can help prevent deaths.
“It is important that parents, relatives and carers check their homes and proactively take steps to make sure that children are kept safe.
“Don’t leave it until it is too late – taking simple steps to make our homes safer for children is the best way to help prevent accidents.”
Read more at http://www.devonlive.com/warning-to-parents-about-window-bl-ind-cords/story-30185977-detail/story.html#FqkCLtMV2Ib4q5kV.99
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2017-03-08 08:56:112017-03-08 08:56:11Warning to parents after 31 child deaths caused by blind cords.
Q) Hi Deb. I’m in a new home and wondering how I can determine the best window coverings for each room? The house feels empty without anything on the windows. What are the best ways to approach each room and determine the best options? Thanks!
A) Window treatments in a new home can be very important. They are a finishing touch that can make a room. In many cases it’s a combination of the style of the house, and functionality required, in terms of privacy and light control.
Window treatment options
There are many choices available in window treatments, such as drapery, blinds and shutters. There are also many material options like wood, fabrics, faux wood, etc. The most popular window coverings are drapery panels or blinds.
The space
In some homes, it makes sense to cover all the windows in one consistent type of treatment. For instance, this may be a blind or a shutter in one colour, that is used throughout the home. This adds light control and privacy to every room, and it gives your home a uniform look on the exterior.
Drapery vs. blinds
In some rooms, even with a blind, you may want to add drapery to soften the room or add some extra fullness. This might be in a living room or bedroom where you want additional style or decor — you can coordinate fabrics and textiles and really bring a room together. When you have more than one window in a room, like a living room, it’s important to give them the same coverings.
Style
The style of your home may also influence the window treatments; a more modern, sleek home may have fitted, streamlined, blinds. A traditional, formal home may have more ornate window treatment like blinds with full-length drapery, or customized roman shades to add pattern and colour to each room.
Tip: The more customized window treatments are more expensive and usually require a professional. When on a budget, look for inexpensive ready-made options that can be cut or fit to size to give a more custom feel.
Drapery vs. blinds
In some rooms, even with a blind, you may want to add drapery to soften the room or add some extra fullness. This might be in a living room or bedroom where you want additional style or decor — you can coordinate fabrics and textiles and really bring a room together. When you have more than one window in a room, like a living room, it’s important to give them the same coverings.
Style
The style of your home may also influence the window treatments; a more modern, sleek home may have fitted, streamlined, blinds. A traditional, formal home may have more ornate window treatment like blinds with full-length drapery, or customized roman shades to add pattern and colour to each room.
Tip: The more customized window treatments are more expensive and usually require a professional. When on a budget, look for inexpensive ready-made options that can be cut or fit to size to give a more custom feel.
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2017-02-19 08:46:262017-02-19 08:46:26Determining the best window coverings
If you are unable to sort things by looking at these documents please contact us.
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2017-01-11 22:20:512017-01-11 22:20:51Rechargeable motor and remote manuals
The parents of a toddler who died in a window blind cord accident have made an emotional bid to raise awareness of the dangers that blinds pose to children.
Feliciano and Maria Saba’s two-year-old son, Bryan, died 11 weeks ago after he became tangled in a looped cord at their home in Portadown, County Armagh.
Mrs Saba described the looped cords as a “silent killer” and called for a new, safer system to be introduced.
The couple have taken part in a safety campaign by the Southern Health Trust.
In an interview filmed for the trust, the couple described Bryan as a lively and loveable child who loved being outdoors.
Mrs and Mrs Saba are originally from Guinea-Bissau in west Africa but left their homeland to study and work in Italy, where they got married.
They and their seven children left Italy and moved to Northern Ireland only a short time before the tragedy.
Ambulance
In September, Bryan was being looked after by his adult sister and brother in their Portadown home, while the rest of the family were at work and at school.
The child had just been fed, and his sister left him to play in their living room while she walked a few steps into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Mrs Saba said Bryan had only been left alone for a few moments but after noticing that the child was not making any noise in the next room, his sister went to check on him and found him caught up in the blind cord.
“She took him down and put him on the floor. She called out for her brother who was upstairs, he came down. Being in a country a short time, they couldn’t speak English,” Mrs Saba said.
“My daughter ran to my sister’s shop 100 metres [109 yards] away to call her and get her to call an ambulance to help him.”
Despite their attempts to save him, Bryan died on 25 September.
The grieving family has shared their story as a warning to others, as part of the trust’s campaign to reduce window blind cord accidents.
‘Death trap’
“Children like playing with things, blind cords have little pearl balls that attract the attention of toddlers,” Mrs Saba said.
“We need to have at least some form of safety device on the cord, we need to make them secure. We don’t want to see another child like Bryan die.”
Mr Saba said: “For us, the living room was the safest room in the house. We never thought that the living room would be a death trap because it had practically nothing in it. It only had a television, a sofa, a small table, that was all.”
The couple’s recorded interview was shown at a recent safety workshop in Craigavon, County Armagh, organised by the trust’s accident prevention officer, Nina Daly.
‘Lasting legacy’
“Many people still remain unaware of the danger that looped cords present to babies and young children,” Ms Daly said.
“If a child’s neck gets entangled in a cord even for a few seconds they can be left permanently brain damaged or die. It really does happen that quickly, without warning and with the child often not able to cry out for help.”
She praised the Saba family’s “courage and determination to warn others of this danger” and said the video will be “a lasting legacy to their son and form part of the trust’s ongoing efforts to address blind cord accidents”.
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-12-13 07:27:532016-12-13 07:27:53Attraction after son’s blind twine demise
Karen Shelley, 42, thought her son had died when she saw him hang “in slow motion” as his eyes bulged and he lost colour in his face
A mother told how she watched her son “in slow motion” as he became entangled in a window blind cord and hung himself as he “went limp” before her eyes.
Karen Shelley, 42, was watching her son Riley, 2, play with his younger brother Louis, 1, when he became trapped with the cord around his neck.
She was at home in Sheerness, Kent, when Riley stood up on a windowsill and fell through the plastic cord.
His 16-year-old sister Sammy rushed to his aid and pulled him up to save him from hanging.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors ran tests to check his oxygen levels.
The little lad is now recovering at home, and the bruising on his neck has disappeared.
But his mum wants to remind other parents of the dangers of leaving a blind cord free – and said how “lucky” she is that her son is still alive.
Karen told how she ran in slow motion towards her son, as her legs “turned to jelly” and she collapsed on the sofa in front of him.
The window blind cord as Karen would usually wrap it around the pole(Photo: Facebook)
Riley hung for seconds from the window blind cord(Photo: Facebook)
She said: “It just happened so quickly. I honestly thought he was dead. My legs just collapsed under me as I crawled up the settee.
“He had hold of the cord on both sides of the loop and as he jumped down it went round his neck and pulled him back up a little – then he was just hanging there, limp.
“Sammy grabbed him, she got there before me and pulled him up.
“I just kept screaming ‘no, no, no, no’ – I thought he had died.
“His eyes started bulging out from his head and he turned this funny colour.
Karen has cut the cord off and is warning other parents of the dangers(Photo: SWNS)
“It’s amazing how quickly the colour went, it only took two or three seconds and he was completely pale.
She was told that if the cord was lower, it could have been a fatal accident(Photo: Facebook)
Karen, who is also mum to 22-year-old Luke, told how she usually wraps the cord of her second-hand blind around the top of the pole.
The teacher’s assistant was aware of the risk of accidents around her children and said that morning, she had forgotten to wrap it around.
Karen said: “It’s so dangerous. It goes to show it only takes one day for something like this to happen.
Karen Shelley with son Riley Stuart(Photo: SWNS)
“I’ve been so lucky and I know I was lucky. I just feel so sorry for the parents that have lost their children in this way.
“I did cut the cord in half but I can’t bear looking at it anymore so I cut it all off.”
Karen wants to raise awareness of the dangers of using blinds with a cord pull.
She said she wanted to share Riley’s story so that other parents will think before leaving their cord dangling free.
Karen said: “It just show how easily it can happen. I was 12 feet away from Riley but if my child was out of the room, it could have ended differently.
“If the cord was a few inches longer, it could have ended differently. We might not have been so lucky.”
This comes as another toddler was caught on camera silently strangling on a window blind cord as his mother filmed the rest of the family playing together in the living room.
Gavin Walla, from Wisconsin, US, can be seen in the horrifying home video hanging limply from the looped window blind cord, which is wrapped around his neck.
Gavin’s mother was filming a home video of her children playing together in their front room when she suddenly notices the toddler has stopped breathing.
Immediately, she drops the camera, screaming her son’s name as she desperately tries to untangle the cord.
Horror: Gavin stands limply in the corner(Photo: ABC)
Thankfully, her quick actions saved Gavin’s life and he’s heard in the video coughing and spluttering as he gasps for breath.
Gavin, who is now 17, wants people to see his home video in the hope of raising awareness about the very real dangers of window blind cords.
He told ABC News: “I’m glad that it’s out there. It saved the lives of other children that have been fortunate enough to have parents who have seen the video.”
It is thought more than 100 children have died in window blind cord accidents since Gavin’s.
Now: Gavin wants his home video to serve as a warning to other parents(Photo: ABC)
Elliot Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission told ABC: “I see decades, and I’m talking decades, about children once a month getting hanged to death by these products and it’s got to stop.”
The government first identify the window blinds as a hidden danger over 30 years ago.
But the cords remain a potentially deadly hazard to this day with many manufacturers still using them on many of their products.
IKEA and Target have already removed corded window blinds from their shelves due to safety concerns.
Family: The Walla family want to share their story(Photo: ABC)
Walmart and several other stores have announced they will stop selling the products by 2018.
Ralph Vasami, the head of the Window Covering Association, an industry trade group, admitted that the hazard is still present but has been reduced by new safety features including breakaway cords and string that can be tied at a height children can’t reach.
They however do not recommend that corded window blinds should be used in homes with children.
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-12-01 11:28:052016-12-01 11:28:05Playing toddler ‘went limp’ after being strangled by window blind cord in front of horrified mum
We are pleased to be able to offer a solar charger for our rechargeable motors.
We have been offering rechargeable motorised blinds for a few years now, but only with a traditional plugin charger. Usually every 6-8 months on a single one up and one down action a day, the motor starts beeping asking for a recharge. Not now that we have a trickle charge from the solar panel.
Either mounted on the window or externally on the mount bracket the solar panel will trickle charge the battery for optimum performance.
The solar panel does not need direct sun light to work it can harvest power from the daylight.
If this is of interest to you, please contact us.
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-11-28 20:25:242016-11-28 20:25:24New Solar Power for rechargeable Motors
Dear Heloise: I have wooden-slat blinds. I have tried oil soap and baby wipes, but I cannot get them clean. Can you please help? — Marie M., via fax
Help is here. Cleaning wooden blinds shouldn’t be hard! Baby wipes are OK, but may leave a residue. The oil “soap” is what I use, and it’s never failed me.
Are they just dusty? Coated with a gummy sort of residue? Are they painted, or raw wood? Painted should be a zip to clean. If they are unpainted wood, try this: Use a microfiber cloth dipped into just warm water. Wring it out, and run it over one slat. Go both ways, back and forth. If you see “dirt” on the cloth, then proceed.
If it’s that sticky stuff, then go back to the wood soap. Don’t overwet, and be sure to rinse off, then dry well. Test one-half of a blind and see which method works best for you! — Heloise
P.S.: Use the upholstery attachment with the brush to “suck” dust off the blinds!
Anyone who has ever had roller blinds installed in their home will be aware of the problems that arise when they start to age. You can’t really take them down to wash them and the only solution for worn or discoloured blinds is to replace the complete unit.
But you can’t just do it for one window, the whole house needs to be done at considerable expense.
Changing the blinds themselves isn’t an option either, the whole mechanical assembly for each one must be replaced as well.
A simpler and much more cost-effective solution is now at hand thanks to an invention by Belfast based Bloc Blinds. The company is responsible for a number of patented and patent-pending products since breaking into the window blinds market but its most striking innovation is the fabric changing roller blind.
This clever design allows the user to swap the fabric of the blind as often as they like without replacing or even removing the complete system from the window.
The barrel, fixtures and fittings of the blind all remain in situ, only the fabric is changed.
This has considerable advantages beyond simple cost savings as Bloc Blinds marketing manager Kiera Scullion explains.
“The ease with which fabrics can be swapped means that consumers no longer need to think of their blinds as stagnant pieces in their room which can only be of neutral colour so as to match all possible colours schemes over the coming years,” she says.
“This means that consumers can be as daring as they like with their colour and pattern choices, safe in the knowledge that if they redecorate or have a change of heart down the line the fabric can be quickly and inexpensively swapped.”
As well as increased design flexibility there is also the practical element with the option to replace tired or worn fabrics as needed without replacing all the other elements of the blind which are still perfectly functional. “The components used to build our blinds are extremely hard wearing so that they will last for many years, and fabric changes to come,” she adds.
The blind has been designed with simplicity in mind. Users can swap the fabric of their blinds in seconds by simply hooking off one and hooking on another.
“The re-ordering process has also been simplified. By scanning the QR code on the barrel of the blind the customer is taken to the reorder page on the Bloc Blinds website.
“The measurements from their original order are already stored so all the customer has to do is choose a fabric and wait for it to be sent out to them ready to be hooked into place.
The blind’s origins date back some years to when Cormac Diamond, inventor of the fabric changing roller blind, was working in Poland for window manufacturing firm. He realised that there was a gap for high quality and visually appealing blinds.
Easily interchangeable
“As a solution to this gap, you could say the ‘lightbulb’ moment came when he looked at other household items which were easily interchangeable such as printer cartridges and razor blades,” says Scullion.
“Cormac wanted to offer this same level of flexibility to window blinds and as a result move them into the home accessories market.”
The blind was launched in 2014 and was quickly picked up by the John Lewis Partnership. It is currently available as a category brand product throughout its nationwide network of stores in the UK and on its online platform. It is also available and selling well throughout Europe and has recently been launched on the US market.
“It has been really well received with 10 per cent of customers reordering fabrics to date as well as several recognitions for design innovation both in the consumer and trade sectors,” Scullion says.
“Given that it is an environmentally friendlier option which reduces the amount of aluminium going to landfills, the fabric changing roller blind has been particularly well received by the public sector as well as environmentally and sustainability aware consumers.”
Founded in 2006, Bloc Blinds originally manufactured skylight blinds, with a handful of people in Diamond’s father-in-law’s shed.
“We have come quite a way since then with over 100 employees and a recent move into our new, custom-built factory,” she says. “We now design and manufacture a wide range of award-winning window dressing options and deliver them all over the world.”
Continued growth is very much on the agenda for the future. A new factory was completed at the beginning of this year and the company is engaged in an ongoing recruitment drive to increase staff numbers by nearly 50 per cent over the next two years.
“We have worked hard to expand our retailer network in the UK and Irelandand will continue to do so in the coming years. We have recently opened our first office in the US, in Boston, to service our US website and customer base.
“We hope to increase consumer sales as well as exploring long-term growth plans in the market. The overall goal is to increase the number of our products in the market so that we can subsequently increase repeat fabric sales.”
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-07-22 07:40:192016-07-22 07:40:19Innovation awards: Bloc Blinds gives new life to roller blinds
PARENTS are being warned about the dangers posed by window blind cords after the death of an 18-month-old girl.
Little Tianna Mooney died after becoming entangled in a blind in her bedroom.
The toddler had been put to bed as normal at her Basford home.
But less than an hour later her mother, Stacey Clarke, found her unresponsive, with the cord loop around her neck.
Now – after finding Tianna’s death in June last year was accidental – assistant coroner David James said he was ‘astounded’ to discover how many children have died in similar circumstances.
He said: “Tianna’s death was not an isolated death. I can’t say enough how important it is for parents, grandparents and carers of young children to ensure looped blind cords are kept out of the reach of children.
“This was an utter tragedy.”
An inquest at North Staffordshire Coroners’ Court yesterday heard Miss Clarke put Tianna to bed at around 7.30pm on June 16 last year.
The tot’s cot was by a window fitted with a vertical blind – which had some slats missing – and she would often stand and look out of the window before settling down to sleep. The inquest heard Miss Clarke, who lived in Victoria Street with Tianna and her older son, went upstairs 45 minutes later.
She described seeing Tianna ‘standing in her cot, with the cord around her neck’.
Miss Clarke picked up her daughter and ran outside calling for help. One neighbour called an ambulance while another – a teacher – tried to resuscitate Tianna. Paramedics quickly arrived but the toddler was pronounced dead in hospital.
Pathologists concluded Tianna died from ‘compression of the neck, consistent with hanging’.
The inquest comes three months after 16-month-old Bronwyn Taylor died when she became entangled in her grandparents’ window blinds in Fegg Hayes.
Her parents Matt and Cathy, from Basford, have since launched a campaign to raise awareness of hidden dangers in the home which will see thousands of leaflets distributed to new parents, as well as extended family members such as grandparents, and in libraries, nurseries, doctors and dental surgeries.
Matt, aged 41, said: “It is tragic that this has happened to another little girl. There are lots of accidents happening every day, which is why we are campaigning and getting these leaflets out.”
The inquest heard current blind cord standards ensure new blinds are child-safe, but older blinds remain a danger in many homes.
During the inquest, Mr James said: “Although these standards are there now for new installations, many homes are still fitted with blinds that will not incorporate these requirements.
“Children of this age are prone not to be able to free themselves, and their windpipes are not fully developed, which means they suffocate.”
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-07-14 21:11:222016-07-14 21:11:22Toddler Tianna Mooney died after getting tangled in blind, just 45 minutes after she was put to bed .
Blinds. There is no quicker or more effective way to switch from natural light to privacy please! Just a twist of the wrist and the magic happens. Surely, this is why just about every window in just about every house and apartment in the U.S. comes dressed with BLINDS. We have come to expect them. We have come to depend on them. Curtains and the like are just decorative bonuses; blinds do the grunt work.
But speaking of work, they sure are a lot of work to clean. Blinds collect dust like nobody’s business, and getting that dust off is a pain. It is time consuming, and I know I’ve never felt like I’ve gotten minecompletely dust-free–even after a day devoted to cleaning them.
Well, that was before I knew THIS awesome hack. The only hack you’ll ever need for cleaning your blinds. Are you ready? Let’s figure out how to clean window blinds together!
(This post contains affiliate links that support this blog.)
Here are the things you’ll need: tongs, two microfiber dust cloths (you may want to have some extra for swapping out when the originals get dusty), and four rubber bands.
Let’s go to work!
Wrap your dust cloths around each side of your tongs and secure with two rubber bands a piece. Make sure that the smooth side of the dust cloth faces in and the seam is on the side or back for the most effective dusting.
Clasp your tongs around each individual blind and just LOOK at all of the dust that comes back! This is seriously the most efficient way anyone has ever cleaned their blinds. Ever.
If your dry cloths aren’t getting the job done, spray your favorite cleaner on the blinds as you go. We love making our own and use these DIY household cleaner recipes on this list to do it!
Now, if your blinds are anything like mine, you’ll need to change your microfiber cloths out a few times over before you’re done. Just do it, you’re still saving mad amounts of time by using this hack!
I appreciate that this method doesn’t require me to donate my favorite pair of tongs to the cleaning closet either. Just remove the cloths when you’re done, send the tongs through the dishwasher, and they’re ready to hang out with the kitchen utensils once again.
So, happy cleaning, friends! We’d love to hear how it goes for you in the comments!
https://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.png00Paul Pollard-Fraserhttps://blindschichester.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/devablindslogo-2-2.pngPaul Pollard-Fraser2016-05-21 08:38:592016-05-21 08:38:59THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO CLEAN WINDOW BLINDS
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