A loose blind cord is the hazard, not the blind itself. In Australia, corded window coverings have to be supplied and installed so that a loose cord or chain cannot form a loop a young child could reach, and the safest answer of all is a blind with no cord on it.
Why cords are the risk
A hanging chain or cord can form a loop, and a loop at the height of a toddler’s head is the danger. It happens quietly and quickly, usually in a bedroom or a lounge where a cot, a bed or a chair has been pushed under the window.
The mechanism matters more than the product. Continuous chain drives on roller blinds, lift cords on venetians and romans, and tilt cords all create the same shape if they are left hanging loose. That is why the rules focus on the cord being secured rather than on which blind you buy.
Tensioners, cleats and how they are meant to be fitted
Two devices do the work. A cord tensioner is a small fitting screwed to the wall or the window frame that holds the bottom of a continuous chain under tension, so the loop is pinned to the wall and cannot be pulled out and over a child’s head. It has to be screwed in, not stuck on, and it has to stay there.
A cleat is the other one. It is a small hook the cord is wound around when the blind is not being adjusted, and it has to be fixed high enough on the wall that the wound cord sits well above a small child’s reach. Installers commonly place it around 1.6 metres above the floor for that reason. Winding the cord onto the cleat every time is the part that gets forgotten.
Neither device works if it is never used. We have walked into houses where the tensioner is still in the bag on the windowsill, and the chain is hanging loose beside a cot.
Warning labels and what should come with the blind
Corded blinds sold in Australia are required to carry a warning label about the strangulation risk, and to come with the safety device and instructions needed to install them safely. Leave the label on. It is there for the next person who lives in the house, or for a house sitter who would not think twice about a hanging chain.
If you buy blinds online and fit them yourself, the responsibility for doing it properly lands on you. Check that the tensioner or cleat is in the box, and fix it before you hang anything under the window.
Cordless and motorised are the safest option
If there are small children in the house, take the cord out of the equation. A motorised roller blind has no chain at all. It runs off a remote or a wall switch, so there is nothing to loop and nothing to wind onto a cleat, and nothing for a child to climb on and reach.
Cordless spring-operated blinds are the other route. You push the bottom rail up or pull it down by hand and there is no cord, though you do need to be able to reach the rail, which rules them out on very tall windows.
Motorised is usually the practical choice on high or hard to reach glass. If you are already having roller blinds made, adding motors at the time of manufacture is far tidier than retrofitting later.
Checking the blinds you already have
Walk each room and look at the window from a metre off the floor, which is roughly what a child sees. Then work through this:
- Is every chain or cord held under tension or wound onto a cleat, with no hanging loop?
- Is the tensioner screwed to the wall or frame rather than taped or hanging free?
- Is the cleat high enough that a child standing on the floor cannot reach the wound cord?
- Has anything been moved under the window that a child could climb on, such as a cot, a toy box, a bed or a chest of drawers?
- Are the warning labels still attached to the blinds?
Furniture is the one that changes without anyone noticing. A blind that was safe when it was installed becomes a problem the day a cot gets moved across the room.
Rooms where it matters most
Bedrooms and nurseries come first, then any room where a child plays unsupervised for more than a minute. Stair landings and hallway windows are worth a look too, because they are often fitted and then forgotten.
Rentals deserve a mention. If you are renting and a blind has a loose cord, raise it with the agent in writing. It is a safety issue, not a cosmetic one.
If you would like a hand sorting this out, book a free measure and quote. We will look at the windows your children use, talk through cordless and motorised options room by room, and take the measurements while we are there.
Common questions
Are corded blinds still allowed in Australia?
Yes, corded blinds are still sold, but they have to be supplied with the safety devices and warning labels needed to install them so a loose cord cannot form a loop within a child’s reach. The obligation is on how the blind is supplied and fitted rather than on the cord existing at all.
How high should a cord cleat be fixed?
High enough that a child standing on the floor cannot reach the wound cord. Installers commonly fix cleats around 1.6 metres above floor level. Also check nothing has been moved under the window that a child could climb on to reach it.
Is a motorised blind really safer than a corded one with a tensioner?
It removes the hazard rather than managing it. A tensioner only works if it stays screwed to the wall and the chain stays in it. A motorised blind has no chain, so there is nothing to forget and nothing to loop.