WIREDGOV

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is offering councils the opportunity to extend its Make it Safe campaign across Scotland - highlighting the dangers of looped blind cords to parents and carers of young children.  

RoSPA is aware of at least 22 blind cord deaths in the UK since 1999 (with 11 tragedies since the beginning of 2010). RoSPA’s research indicates that most cases happen in a bedroom, when the child, typically aged 16-36 months, is expected to be asleep.

So far, RoSPA has worked with ten local authority areas with financial backing from the Scottish Government’s Community Safety unit and generous donations from Scottish businesses. More than 15,000 safety packs have so far been distributed, through a variety of different partners at a local level.

The remaining 22 local authorities in Scotland are now being urged to get involved. Authorities will be able to order 2,000 Make it Safe packs, containing leaflets, a warning tag, and a cleat - a small plastic device that is fitted to the side of the window for the operating cord to be wrapped around - for just 50 pence a pack. They will then be supported by RoSPA to promote the campaign throughout their communities.

Feedback from previous projects has shown that people who have received the packs have not only been installing the cleats but have been passing on the knowledge to other parents or carers as well as taking additional action to improve safety in their homes.   Elizabeth Lumsden, RoSPA’s community safety manager in Scotland, is launching the initiative at the Scottish Accident Prevention Council’s Preventative Spend in Accident Awareness seminar in Edinburgh today. She said: “The Make it Safe campaign is a practical, cheap and effective way of raising awareness of the dangers of looped blind cords.  

“We hope all Scottish councils will get involved to help prevent further tragedies.”  

Margaret Brunton, home safety officer with South Lanarkshire Council, said: “We are delighted to have been involved with this campaign.  Targeting the parents, grandparents and carers of young children across South Lanarkshire was a great way of raising awareness.  The campaign was so successful, and cost effective, that we are now going to sustain the project ourselves to reach parents who may not be aware of how easily these accidents can happen”.

RoSPA advises people buying new blinds to look for a design that doesn’t have cords or chains, particularly for a child’s bedroom. It also advises parents and carers not to put a child’s cot, bed, playpen or highchair near a window. Where there are blinds with cords or chains in the house, RoSPA advises that cords are kept tied up and out of the reach of young children using a cleat, cord tidy, clip or tie.

To download a free Make it Safe advice leaflet - and to support RoSPA’s campaign - visit www.rospa.com/blindcords/. The leaflet was produced by the British Blind and Shutter Association, with which RoSPA is working on a wider blind cord safety campaign. RoSPA has also made the leaflet available in both Gaelic and Polish.