Rapid Response

At all levels, the window coverings industry responds to the product recall by helping consumers eliminate hazards.

A product recall can be devastating for a manufacturer; when it involves an entire industry its repercussions can be overwhelming. The recall-to-repair notice issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on November 1, 2000, had all the potential of being such an event. This notice focused on the inner lift cords of horizontal blinds and the possible hazard they posed to the safety of children and pets. The window coverings industry, however, responded quickly and in a positive, pro-active manner. The industry's response to the lift cord hazard, which reportedly was a factor in 16 deaths since 1991, can be summed up best by one fabricator's comment: "If even only one tragic death were prevented, then the recall was worthwhile," said Chuck Martz, Beauti Vue, Bristol, WI. The publicity surrounding the recall was immediate and pervasive. Reports were broadcast on television and radio stations around the country and newspapers in most cities carried front-page articles. But even this media barrage actually acted in a positive way to help highlight safety concerns and actions taken by the industry. "I believe that the recent publicity will raise awareness of this important issue and should lead to more consumers utilizing safety options provided by manufacturers and fabricators," said John C. Fitzgerald, executive vice president, Comfortex Window Fashions, Maplewood, NY. JOINT RESPONSIBILITY On a more pragmatic level, some industry representatives wondered where the final responsibility lies, with the manufacturers or with the consumer. Perhaps in frustration, some questioned, Where are the parents? After all, consumers install safety locks on cabinet doors and drawers to keep children from gaining access to cleaning products and medications, round off or cover sharp corners on furnishings and place safety locks on guns. Overall, however, industry responded to the recall with sympathy and compassion for those mostly likely to be found in harm's way. The WCSC and the window coverings industry urged all parents and child care-givers to take basic precautionary measures to reduce or eliminate safety threats wherever they may exist in a home and to child-proof existing and new window treatments that might pose a safety hazard. Through their efforts, eliminating dangling or looped cords has been made easy end effective by the use of cord tensioning devises, control wands that lift and tilt blind slats, separate tassels instead of cord loops and, in the latest recall, cord stops. READY AND ABLE Most major window coverings manufacturers were well ahead of the latest safety dangers posed by inner lift cords having designed and retrofitted safety cord stop devices onto thousands of existing horizontal blind products by early fall. The safety stop, a small, plastic washer, is knotted onto the lift cords one to two inches below the headrail and prevents a cord loop from forming by stopping the cords from traveling backwards through the cord locks. "The device, called a safety doughnut, . . . has been included in the manufacture of all Levolor horizontal blinds since the end of August 2000," reported Levolor Home Fashions, High Point, NC, the day after the CPSC recall-to-repair notice was announced. Furthering its commitment to safety issues, Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, announced the same day as the recall that it had teamed up with the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) to provide free retrofit kits for horizontal blinds from any manufacturer. "We applaud the efforts of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to raise awareness of the threat that can be caused by the inner cords of horizontal blinds," said Joe Jankoski, corporate vice president of merchandising for Hunter Douglas and a member of the WCSC.   "If even only one tragic death were prevented, then the recall was worthwhile."   ALTERNATIVE INNOVATIONS Dealers and designers who sell window coverings products were placed directly on the front line of the recall having to interact personally with customers. For many, the recall raised many practical questions regarding who would be responsible for repairs—the retailer, wholesaler, fabricator or manufacturer—and what would be the effect at the retail level. "These cords are definitely a safety issue for young children," Lewiston, PA, designer, Melanie Cramen, stated. Yet, she wondered, "Would a recall increase the price of shades due to the increased cost of manufacturers, distributors and installer fees to modify the cords?" She added a suggestion: "New product lines need to be developed to accommodate the new cord modification." Indeed, the window coverings industry has developed many new innovations that eliminate the hazards completely. Chief among these innovative lines are cordless products that have been available to consumers for several years now. "Cordless blinds and shades are safer for children and pets because the outer lift cords have been replaced by a spring motor system, eliminating strangulation hazards," confirmed a statement from Levolor Home Fashions. Another method of bypassing the cord safety issue is through motorization, as pointed out in a statement by Techniku, Inc., Denver, CO: "Clearly the safety of the products we sell and install within the window treatment industry should be a major focus and commitment from all levels of the distribution channel. There are several ways in which the industry can respond to the current recall by the CPSC and Window Covering Safety Council. Techniku believes one of the most important ways in which the industry can respond is through window treatment automation. When a window treatment is installed with a lifting or traversing motor, these dangerous pull cords are removed. As we continue to educate the industry and generate consumer awareness for the product, we are optimistic that these tragedies will be limited and, we hope, will no longer occur."