New Manufacturing Standards for Roman Shades require compliance by December 3, 2010
The Window Covering Manufacturer Association (WCMA) in conjunction with Consumer Product Safety Commission has re-written the manufacturing standards for corded window coverings. The implementation of the new standards is in two phases with the first phase requiring compliance to the new standards for Roman Shades and the second requiring compliance of all other corded window treatments. The objective of the new standard is to reduce the possibility of injury, including strangulation, to young children from the bead chain, cord, or any type of flexible loop device used to operate a window covering.
Innovative Openings has always offered quality window covering products with enhanced child safety features. The new safety standards require manufacturers, retailers, and installers to all participate to make sure that window coverings are manufactured to the highest safety standards, consumers are educated on the choices available, and installers install them in the manner that they were designed for. In addition, consumers should consider child accessibility to any exposed window covering cords, placement of cribs or beds away from windows and even the dangers of the window itself to reduce potential child safety risks.
The fabrication of roman style shades (fabric roman shades and natural woven wood shades) has changed to prevent “rear” cords from being pulled away from the shade to create a hazardous loop. In addition, the “front” operating cord system has been re-defined to prevent hazardous loops as well. More information on Child Safety and the specifics of the new standard are available at the Consumer Product Safety Council website http://www.cpsc.gov/ & the WMCA website http://www.wcmanet.org/wcmastandard.html.
Innovative Openings has been working with roman shade manufacturers to insure that every product that we sell is compliant with then new standards before the December 3, 2010 deadline. “Several of our key roman shade suppliers have been proactive with product changes and have assured us that their products are 100% compliant with the new standards,” according to Rick Pease, Co-owner of Innovative Openings, Inc. “The exciting part of these changes is seeing all of the new innovative solutions coming to market.”