Legal News

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) announced today a voluntary product recall to repair Roman shades and roll up blinds. The CPSC has received reports of 5 deaths and 16 near strangulations due to the cords on these window coverings. About five million Roman shades and about three million roll-up blinds are sold each year.

In fact, just last August we discussed another Roman shades recall following a strangulation death.

The CPCS has found the following dangers:

Roman Shades

A child can be at risk for strangulation with Roman shades when she places her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the back of the blind or when she wraps the cord around her neck.

Roll Up Blinds

Strangulations in roll up blinds can occur if the child's neck becomes caught in the cord lifting loop or if her neck is placed between the lifting loop and the blind material.

To prevent these types of harm to children from these window coverings, the CPSC urges all parents and caregivers to do the following:

• Examine all shades and blinds in the home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC and the WCSC recommend the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
• Do not place cribs, beds, and furniture close to the windows because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
• Make loose cords inaccessible.
• If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.

Shades an blinds included in the roller blinds and Roman shades recall have been sold at major retailers such as JC Penney, Walmart and Pottery Barn. Specific brands and retailers voluntarily recalling their products include:

West Elm of San Francisco, Calif. Jute/Poly Roman Shades; Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen division of Williams-Sonoma Inc. of San Francisco, Calif.; International Merchandise of Columbus, Ohio, Deluxe Matchstick Roll-up Shades; Lotus & Windoware Inc., of Memphis, Tenn. ¼? Oval Roll-up Blinds; All Strong Industry (USA) Inc., of Ontario, Calif. Roman Shades; J. C. Penney Purchasing Corp. of Plano, Texas, Roman shades and roll-up blinds; Walmart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark., roll-up blinds and Roman shades; Airtex Design Group Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., Roman Shades.

For a more extensive list of these products, retailers and additional product recalls, go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prereldec09.html.

You may receive a free repair kit by calling (800) 506-4636 or by going to: www.windowcoverings.org.

Report incidents or injuries to the CPSC at: https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.asp

Related Resources:

• Window Covering Safety Council Recalls to Repair All Roman and Roll-Up Blinds Due to Risk of Strangulation (CPSC)
• December 2009 Recalls and Product Safety News (CPSC)
• Millions of Window Shades, Blinds Recalled (CBS News)
• Defective and Dangerous Products - Legal Issues (FindLaw)
• Product Design and Manufacturing Defects (provided by Winters Enright Salzetta & O'Brien, L.L.C.)
• Personal Injury Resources (provided by The Law Offices of Michael B. Brehne, P.A.)