In the context of the International Product Safety Week 2010, the European Commission is organising today an information event on cords and chains in window coverings, which can still represent a hidden home hazard. Mrs Elena Santiago Cid, CEN-CENELEC Director General, participates in this press event.

Brussels (2 December 2010) – Cords and chains in window coverings are dangerous for children, who can strangle themselves and die. This kind of tragedy happens all around the world. One response is to define safety standards for corded window covering products. CEN (the European Committee for Standardization) shares the concerns over children deaths and injuries that are linked to insufficient window blind cords safety.

A CEN Technical Committee deals already with this issue, CEN/TC 33 ‘Doors, windows, shutters, building hardware and curtain walling’, and is currently working on the amendment of a European Standard, EN 13120:2009 ‘Internal blinds – Performance requirements including safety’. This European Standard will cover all internal blinds whatever their design and the nature of the material used, and evaluate and specify requirements for safety devices to cover strangulation risks.

Exchange of information and cooperation with Standards Development Organizations such as ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, and CSA, the Canadian Standards Association, on this issue is ongoing. CEN welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with these partners to define common solutions to provide the highest level of safety for children.

However, for efficiency and in order to avoid duplication of work, whenever possible, coordination at international level is carried out with CEN’s global partner ISO.

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Media Contacts:

CEN and CENELEC

Celine Oeyen Manager Communication

Tel.: +32 2 519 68 85

E-mail: coeyen@cencenelec.eu

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CEN’s 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European Internal Market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. By supporting research, and helping disseminate innovation, standards are a powerful tool for economic growth. More than 60.000 technical experts as well as business federations, consumer and other societal interest organizations are involved in the CEN network that reaches over 480 million people.
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