The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is participating in voluntary standard activities to address strangulation hazards associated with cords on window covering products. American National Standard for Safety of Corded Window Covering Products (ANSI/WCMA A.100.1) provides requirements for window covering products that address strangulation hazards associated with continuous cord loops, inner cords, and cord joiners.

In 2002, CPSC staff and the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) initiated a joint activity to review all fatal in-depth investigation (IDI) reports between 1996 and 2002 to identify products, hazard scenarios, conformance to the voluntary standard, and design solutions. The committee reviewed 79 IDIs. The results of the review, which were distributed to members of the WCMA and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) in 2004, indicated that:

• The leading hazard scenarios associated with window covering products are:
  1. Strangulation in the continuous loop cord or chain of vertical blinds and draperies or in loops formed by multiple cords terminating in a single tassel (older horizontal blinds),
  2. Strangulation in a loop formed by a knot tied in the lift cords (mostly associated with horizontal type blind cords but also included in some vertical type blind cords), and
  3. Strangulation in the inner loop of horizontal blinds.
• 60% of the incidents involved cord systems typically used in horizontal type blinds; 40% involved continuous loop systems typical to vertical blinds and draperies.
• 82% of the incidents involved older products that did not conform to the voluntary standard.
• Blinds that meet the voluntary standard can be made hazardous by users if they tie up the cords.

The CPSC staff is working with WCMA to develop performance requirements and test methods to address strangulation hazards associated with window covering products that use cords and to standardize warnings regarding the hazards associated with inner cord loops, emphasizing the need for proper adjustment of inner cord stop devices.  

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