Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge has again stressed the dangers of blind and curtain cords around young children.

In February this year, the Minister launched a safety campaign at the Sydney Children’s Hospital to highlight the risk of young children being injured and killed by loose blinds.

Ms Judge said her message to parents was simple - loose blind and curtain cords can kill, so take the time to check around your home, especially around cots and beds.

“Accidents can happen when cords are too long or they end in a loop,” she said. “Fix them well out of reach and cut any loops, so babies and children are out of danger.”

Ms Judge said 15 small children had died as a result of strangulation after becoming entangled in loose cords, since the late 1990s in Australia, with two as recently as August and October last year, in Victoria.

“In New South Wales there were 7 known fatalities during the period 1988 to 2002,” she said.

“There have been no deaths in NSW since the State Government introduced tougher restrictions for blind and curtain cords in 2003, but the risk remains and a Newcastle child was recently injured in a very worrying incident.

“The NSW law came into effect in January 2003 for any blind or curtain cords supplied after that date. The NSW law has since been taken up by the Commonwealth and State and Territory authorities throughout Australia.”

Ms Judge urged all householders, but especially those with blinds or curtains installed prior to January 2003, to remove any hazards of looped cords, as well as keep cords out of reach of children.

“Most young children are attracted to dangling cords and can become trapped,” she said.

NSW Fair Trading has provided blind and cord safety information to: curtain and blind suppliers and retailers; real estate agents; child care services; housing providers; child health centres; and, community groups across the state.

Ms Judge said parents should follow four key safety steps:

• Check all blind and curtain cords – both at home and when you’re away on holidays. Make sure they are out of reach of children.
• Make loose cords safe – use cleats or cut the cord loop and attach a tassel at the end of each strand.
• Choose safe blinds and curtains – make sure new curtains and blinds have warning labels and provide a way to secure the cords out of reach.
• Keep children away from all cords – move furniture, cots and beds away from cords. Never leave children alone in a room with cords they can reach.

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