New Window Covering Safety Standard Approved

It’s important to understand that all products manufactured after December 15, 2018, must comply with the new standard, although many manufacturers are already introducing products based on the new standard. Equally important to note is that all companies which manufacture, distribute or sell window coverings in the U.S. must comply with the voluntary safety standard or face enforcement action by the CPSC and/or be open to legal action if noncompliant products are sold. “Voluntary” simply signifies that the industry worked cooperatively with the CPSC, safety experts and others under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop the standard.

ANSI mandates an open and balanced process with public review opportunities. The 18-month process required assembling a consensus body (the canvass group), submitting the draft standard to the canvass group for ballot and comment, addressing the comments received, re-balloting, a public review period, and then finally achieving approval of the standard. Industry representatives, along with consumer groups, safety experts and CPSC representatives, worked incredibly hard on the revised standard. The new standard applies to new product production, but there obviously are many window coverings in the marketplace that were produced well in advance of this standard. In recognition of that issue, it is the responsibility of every member of our industry to have a discussion with every client and customer about the potential strangulation hazards associated with certain corded products so that we can increase consumer awareness on this critically important issue.

Consumers today can also look for the “Best for Kids” certification label (see below) to identify cordless window covering options. WCMA created the program in 2015 to make it easier for consumers shopping for window coverings to identify cordless products.

For a copy of the new standard, visit the WCMA website at www.wcmanet.org.

Thanks to the Window Covering Manufacturers Association for sharing this article with us.