Our Child Safety Policy

Swift Blinds and Curtains Limited is committed to promoting child and vulnerable persons safety and has recently (September 2009) become a member of the British Blind and Shutter Association's (BBSA) newly formed 'Make It Safe' campaign.

'Make It Safe' is a concerted campaign to promote child safety to all involved in the window blind and window furnishings trade and to help raise the profile of window blind and window furnishings safety to the general public.

The campaign is considered to be 'very proactive and highly commendable' by the British Government.

Whilst window blinds and window furnishings are not inherently unsafe and many millions are sold every year, there have been instances of injury and child deaths involving accidents with window blind and window furnishings cords and chains.

The 'Make It Safe' campaign specifies that all those involved with the Survey, Manufacture, Supply and Installation of window blinds and window furnishings abide by the updated British Blind and Shutter Associations 'Code of Conduct'.

This updated 'Code of Conduct' now includes the requirements of:

BS EN 13120:2009 Internal Blinds, Performance requirements including safety.

Risk of strangulation

Risk of strangulation arises where products are operated by cords, chains, tapes and similar that can form a loop or where the operating mechanism is of a loop design.

Where there is a risk of strangulation to children or other vulnerable persons from cords, chains, tapes and similar, the manufacturer shall attach a warning notice to the product in a conspicuous position.

In addition, the manufacturer shall either provide within the product package a device for keeping cords, chains, tape or similar out of reach of children or an appropriate safety device (with instructions for its proper installation and use) or include in the product design a mechanism that shall achieve the same result.

Where the design requires a looped operating mechanism, the manufacturer shall provide the means to limit the risk, either by incorporating this into the product design, or by supplying an appropriate safety device with the product. Where practicable, operating cords, chains, tapes or similar should be kept as short as possible.

Swift Blinds and Curtains Limited supply with all products 'Warning' swingtags to highlight the possible risks.

We also, supply free of charge, child safety devises with all products supplied. We highly recommend that these are installed in accordance with the instructions supplied.

We are also happy to supply, free of charge, child safety devises to Customers for installation on existing products, whether they be supplied by ourselves or others.

NOTE: Complete elimination of the strangulation risk can only be achieved by keeping cords, chains, tapes and similar out of the reach of children. Use of additional safety devices may reduce the risk of strangulation but cannot be considered foolproof. Motorisation eliminates the risk associated with looped and pull-cord operating mechanisms but the risk relating to inner tapes and cords remains.

Persons in charge of children are ultimately responsible for following the safety instructions provided by the manufacturer.