Child Safety Is Serious Business

Hunter Douglas, along with us here at Read Design, believe it is our duty to bring awareness to the hazards or hanging cords. All of our products are designed with safety in mind — a responsibility we take very seriously.

Children are innately curious about the world around them. So, even basic household items like window coverings can turn into potential hazards. Making our window fashions safer for homes with infants, young children and pets is a top priority at Hunter Douglas. That’s why we developed a wide range of products to help reduce the risk of accidents. From cordless and motorized operating systems, retractable lift cords, cord tensioners, and wand controls, we offer a wide array of lifting system options for enhanced child and pet safety.

October is Child Safety Month and hanging cords from window coverings are one of the top seven hidden dangers in the home. Help us spread awareness about this very real hazard. Always take extra precautions and opt for the safe window treatments in all environments where children and pets interact with shades. We recommend cordless or motorized window coverings because they really are the safest choice for all of your windows. We love our kiddos, whether they be two-legged or four and want to make sure every person knows about the alternatives to keep our loved ones safe. Any chance to remove a potential hazard from a home is a win for us because we all know one accident is too many.

“I have a 2-year-old and a dog at home. Growing up in the window
covering industry, I’ve always been aware of the dangers
of hanging cords. When I found out I was pregnant with
my son, I immediately got rid of my blinds with cords and
invested in Roller Shades with PowerView and Silhouette
Shades with UltraGlide. Watching my son and dog play around
the shades and moving them to see out the window, I know I made
the right decision.”
                                                                                       — Kate, Read Design

The window coverings industry uses warning tags, labels, and other methods to communicate the potential hazards of corded window coverings. The warning labels communicate the important message about cords being a potential strangulation hazard and suggests choosing cordless or inaccessible-cord alternatives. Together with the Window Covering Safety Council, Hunter Douglas encourages you to install only cordless window coverings in rooms where young children play and sleep. For more info and repair kits for other window covering products, visit the Window Covering Safety Council website.

A detailed chart of safety options across our products can be found in our Safety Reference Chart.