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Blind safety at home

Blind safety starts with what a child can reach.

Babies and young children climb, explore and grab things without recognising danger. Find out what to check around your windows, take a quick home safety check or help children learn to spot a potential danger themselves.

Check my home Children's activities
Practical home checks Independent safety guidance Resources for children & schools
Baby holding an adult's finger
Think from their height A cord or chain that looks well out of reach to an adult may become accessible from a chair, cot, sofa or toy box.
Start with the room

The most useful question isn't simply “does this blind have a cord?” It is “could a young child reach it — now, or by climbing on something nearby?”

Child safety at home

Start with what's happening in your home.

Choose the check that best matches your situation. Each one focuses on practical things you can look at around your own windows.

For parents, carers & families
New baby

New baby on the way?

Check the rooms your baby will use before little hands start exploring. We'll help you look at blinds, cords, chains and nearby furniture room by room.

Start the New Parent Safety Check
Moving home

Moving into a new home?

Check blinds already fitted before you decide where beds, sofas, chairs and other furniture will permanently sit.

Check my new home
Quick check

Already have young children at home?

Six quick questions can highlight something around your windows that may be worth checking more closely.

Take the 60-Second Safety Check
Look around the window

Three things worth checking today.

You don't need to understand technical standards to make a useful first check around your home.

01

Can a child reach a cord or chain?

Look for loose cords, chains or loops around every blind, including what might become reachable from nearby furniture.

02

Could they climb closer to it?

Check beds, cots, sofas, chairs, tables, toy storage, highchairs and other furniture around the window.

03

Is the safety system still in place?

If a fitted safety device is missing, damaged or no longer working as intended, don't improvise a repair. Get the correct advice.

A child's point of view

Could a little one get closer than you think?

Young children climb, stretch and pull things adults may barely notice. A blind cord that appears out of reach can become accessible if furniture provides a route towards it.

One simple rule: if furniture helps a child get closer to a blind cord or chain, move the furniture or address the blind operation.
Choosing new blinds

Choose the safer design first.

Where possible, start with an operating system that avoids leaving a loose cord or chain for a young child to reach. BBSA describes this approach as “safe by design”.

No loose operating loop

Some blind systems can operate without an accessible loose cord or chain.

Motorised operation

Motorisation can remove the normal need for a manual operating cord or chain and can be useful in family spaces and children's rooms.

Concealed or tensioned operation

Other systems can conceal cords or keep them permanently tensioned instead of leaving a loose accessible loop.

The product name isn't the important part. The safest operating method depends on the blind, the window and how the room is used. It is the complete operating system and finished installation that matter.
Already have blinds at home?

A few minutes checking them could reveal something worth putting right.

Older blinds and blinds that have been altered, moved or damaged may deserve a closer look. Don't rely on age alone — check what a child can actually reach and whether the fitted safety system is still working as intended.

✓ Check every blind for loose or continuous cord and chain loops.
✓ Check whether furniture gives a young child a route towards them.
✓ Keep fitted safety devices in place and use them as intended.
✓ If something is missing, damaged or unclear, seek appropriate advice rather than improvising a fix.
Blinds with cords or chains

The safety device is part of the blind installation.

Some blinds use cords or chains together with a specific child-safety system. Where one is required, it should remain correctly fitted and be used as intended.

Breakaway connector fitted to a window blind operating chain
Breakaway

Breakaway systems

Some operating chains use connectors designed to separate under the required load, helping prevent the chain from remaining as a continuous hazardous loop.

Child-safety tensioning device securing a window blind operating chain
Retention

Tension & retention systems

Some blinds keep the operating cord or chain correctly tensioned against the adjoining surface instead of allowing it to hang as a loose accessible loop.

Cord accumulation safety device securing a window blind operating cord
Cord storage

Cord accumulation

Where a blind uses loose operating cord, the correct accumulation device can keep the cord securely stored after use and out of the reach of young children.

Independent information

Want to read the official guidance?

Our tools are designed to make the subject easier to understand. These organisations provide the detailed child-safety and regulatory information behind the advice.

BBSA Window blind child-safety guidance and safe-by-design information. View BBSA guidance ↗ Make It Safe Practical information for safer new blinds and existing installations. Visit Make It Safe ↗ NI Direct Blind-cord safety information for homes in Northern Ireland. Read NI guidance ↗ GOV.UK / OPSS Government information and awareness guidance on blind-cord safety. View GOV.UK guidance ↗
Common questions

Useful things to know.

Are blinds with cords or chains unsafe?

Not automatically. Some blind systems use cords or chains together with appropriate child-safety measures. Where possible, BBSA recommends considering safe-by-design options first where young children live or visit.

What should I do if I find a loose blind cord or chain?

Keep babies and young children away from it, remove any climbable furniture that provides access and seek advice on the appropriate safety solution. Do not tie cords together or improvise a fix that could create another loop.

Should grandparents check their blinds too?

Yes. Blind safety matters anywhere babies and young children spend time, not only in their own home. That can include relatives' homes, childminders and other places they regularly visit.

Are motorised blinds a useful option around young children?

They can be. Motorisation can remove the normal need for an accessible manual operating cord or chain. Suitability depends on the blind, window and chosen motor system.

Can I remove a blind safety device after installation?

No. Where a safety device forms part of the safe installation, it should remain in place and be used as intended. If it becomes damaged or inconvenient, seek advice rather than altering it.

Are blinds fitted before 2014 automatically unsafe?

No. However, older blinds may pre-date the child-safety requirements introduced in 2014 and may not have the features expected on newer installations. They are worth checking rather than judging them by age alone.

Technical standards & regulatory references

These references support the child-safety guidance on this page and are included for anyone who needs the technical detail.

BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014 Internal blinds — Performance requirements including safety.
BS EN 16433:2014 Internal blinds — Protection from strangulation hazards — Test methods.
BS EN 16434:2014 Internal blinds — Protection from strangulation hazards — Requirements and test methods for safety devices.
Regulation (EU) 2023/988 General Product Safety Regulation, applicable in Northern Ireland from 13 December 2024.
Choosing new blinds?

We'll help you consider safety before the blind is ordered.

During a free home appointment we'll measure your windows, look at how each room is used and help you compare suitable blind and operating options before providing your quotation.

Book a free home appointment 0800 059 0747