CHILD SAFETY LAWS FOR CHAINS & CORDS
Did you know there have been over 17,000 child injuries related to blind & curtain cords since the 1990s? Some have unfortunately resulted in death.
As parents currently have their children at home all-day every-day, child safety in the home is very important. MTC take the safety of our clients & their families very seriously. We want our clients to understand the facts and what we are doing to ensure the safety of the window treatments in your home.
In Australia, it’s ILLEGAL for a professional to install new chain or cord operated window treatments in a home without anchoring the chain with an appropriate safety device. This means anchored cord tensioners for curtain tracks, crook anchors for roller blinds & cleats for Roman blinds.
MTC have been anchoring cords long before this legislation came into effect, but we’ve met a few designers and installers who still remain unaware of the laws.
The following information on installation & labelling has been taken from NSW Fair Trading. Read the full legislation here.
Installation
- Corded blinds and curtains must be installed in a way that ensures a loose cord cannot form a loop 220 mm or longer at or less than 1,600 mm above floor level.
- The blinds/curtains must be installed in accordance with the installation instructions on any retail packaging for the covering.
- A cleat used to secure a cord must be installed at least 1,600 mm above floor level.
Labelling
- Warning labels or swing tags supplied with the corded blinds/curtains must not be removed.
- The person installing a corded blind/curtain must attach a label to it, with the name and contact details of the person/company responsible for the installation.
If you don’t like the idea of cords and chains…
Cord-operated curtains don’t age well, so we rarely recommend them. Cords can stretch and twist with frequent use, causing the track to become sluggish and in need of repair. We recommend hand-drawn tracks with clear perspex ‘flick sticks’ for easy use.
Motorisation is a great option if your budget has some wiggle room. This means your curtains and blinds can be operated from a remote control and have no chains or cords whatsoever. Check out our information on motorised window treatments.
Important note for landlords
In order to rent out your property to a tenant, you are required to have all blind and curtain chains & cords anchored appropriately. You will be held responsible if an accident happens and correct safety measures haven’t been taken.