Recently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has expanded an earlier recall of Roman shades, roll-up blinds and roller blinds manufactured by Hanover Direct/Domestications.  Hanover Direct of Weehawken, New Jersey-- also known as Domestications, The Company Store, and Company Kids-- voluntarily added its company name to a December 2009 recall of approximately 495,000 Roman shades and 28,500 roll-up/roller blinds, due to the strangulation death of a child which occurred in May 2010.

Roman shades, roll-up blinds and roller blinds each are considered to have strangulation hazards for young children. An incident specifically involving Roman shades was reported in May 2010 as the cause of death of a 22-month old child in Iowa.  The cords of the shades give the most cause for concern. According to the CPSC, with Roman shades, "Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck."

With roll-up blinds, CPSC says, "Strangulations can occur if the lifting loops slide off the side of the blind and a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material." And with roller blinds, "Strangulations can occur if the blind's continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord is not attached to the wall or the floor with the tension device provided and a child's neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop."

The recall concerns all styles of Roman shades with inner cords, all styles of roll-up blinds, and roller blinds that do not have a tension device. (The tension device is intended to be attached to the continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord and installed into the wall or floor.) 

The CPSC advises consumers to STOP USING any and all Roman shades with inner cords, all roll-up blinds, and all roller blinds that do not have a tension device.  Consumers may contact the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 anytime for free repair kits or visit www.windowcoverings.org.

Consumers who have roller blinds with a tension device should make sure the tension device is attached to the continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord and is installed into the wall or floor.

For additional information, Hanover Direct/Domestications can be reached on

(800) 453-1106 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EasternTime seven days a week, or consumers may visit the company's websites at www.domestications.com or www.hanoverdirect.com

Photographs of each of these types of Roman shades, roll-up blinds and roller blinds may be viewed at the U.S. CPSC.gov website: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11036.html