November 7, 2013
For immediate release
Factsheet: Blind Cord Safety – Injury Prevention
Ottawa - Today, Parliamentary Secretary Eve Adams on behalf of Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, held a blind cord demonstration to warn Canadian parents and caregivers about how easily children can be strangled by corded window coverings.
"The recent Speech from the Throne committed to supporting and protecting Canadian Families by collaborating with injury prevention organizations," said Parliamentary Secretary Adams. "Every year, we receive reports of children getting tangled in blind cords with fatal or near fatal results. Parents and caregivers need to have the correct information to keep their children safe and free from injury."
In homes where children live or visit, it is recommended to replace corded window coverings with ones that are cordless, especially in children's rooms and places where children play. Strangulation can happen even when children are in places where parents think they are safe, such as in a crib or in a bedroom. Any type of blind cord, including cords on the side, inside, or on the back of a window covering, is a strangulation risk for children.
"If you cannot replace your corded window coverings, make sure cords are always tied up high and out of reach of children, whether blinds are up or down." said Parliamentary Secretary Adams.
"My life was forever changed after my 14 month old daughter, Bella, was strangled by an inner blind cord last year. When I went to wake her up from her nap I found her with a cord wrapped around her neck," said Candace Allard, a member of the group Parents for Window Blind Safety.
For information on how to help prevent blind cord injuries and strangulations, please visit the Blind cord safety web page on Healthy Canadians.
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