The devastated family of a toddler who died after becoming tangled in a looped blind cord will today back a major new safety campaign.
Muireann McLaughlin was found hanging from a cord at her family home in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, two years ago.
The tot was waving to her grandmother when she slipped and knocked herself unconscious, then fell into the looped cord of the blind.
Her parents, Angus and Kate, spoke of their “utter devastation” following the death and backed a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers posed by looped blind cords.
They will be joined by community safety minister Fergus Ewing as the campaign is launched at Wishaw General Hospital.
Initially running for six months, the Safer Homes scheme — funded by the Scottish Government — will involve the distribution of safety leaflets to families with young children.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Scotland typically hears about one or two children dying after becoming tangled in blind cords in the UK each year, and there are likely to be many more near misses.
Jennifer Henderson, a RoSPA home safety officer, said, “With blinds already fitted in so many homes, it is important to raise awareness of the dangers and how these accidents can be prevented.
“RoSPA is also continuing to work with the blind industry, government and standards bodies at a UK and European level to seek modifications to the design of blinds.”
The safety initiative will be piloted in North Lanarkshire, where Robert Scott is a fire and rescue area commander.
He said, “Although fire safety is our prime concern, our firefighters are determined to reduce all kinds of risk in the home.
“Strathclyde Fire and Rescue totally supports the campaign to make window blind cords safer.
“If firefighters carrying out home fire safety visits discover dangerous cords they will give leaflets and advice to house-holders about how the cords can be tucked out of children’s way.”
David Roderick, trading standards manager with North Lanarkshire Council, said, “Our advice is simply to ensure that cords are always tied out of the way of children, which can be done by fitting a wall clamp.
“Children are naturally curious, which can lead them into danger around the home.
“A looped cord is an unnecessary risk, but one easily remedied.”
Experts warn that a young child could slip into a loop that hangs at waist height for an adult.
Meanwhile, loops at floor level can become wrapped around the neck of crawling babies.
There have also been cases in which babies have been accidentally strangled by cords hanging into their cots.
RoSPA advises people buying new blinds to look for a design that does not feature cords or chains.
The supervision of young children also plays a vital part in reducing the likelihood of accidents happening.
A blind cord safety leaflet can be downloaded at www.rospa.com/HomeSafety/Info/blind-cord-safety.pdf