The Recall Desk
CriticalCPSC·11036·Announced 2010-11-10

Hanover Direct Recalls Roman Shades and Blinds Due to Strangulation Risk

Hanover Direct is recalling Roman shades, roll-up blinds, and roller blinds due to strangulation hazards. The recall follows the death of a toddler entangled in a shade cord.

What this means for you

Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly reports the death of a child, which meets the rubric criterion for a Critical severity score (5) regardless of other factors.

Plain-English summary

Hanover Direct Inc., also known as Domestications, The Company Store, and Company Kids, is recalling approximately 495,000 Roman shades and 28,500 roller and roll-up blinds. The recall covers all styles of Roman shades with inner cords, all styles of roll-up blinds, and roller blinds that do not have a tension device. These products were sold nationwide via catalog and online from January 1996 through October 2009 for prices between $20 and $579.

The recall is prompted by a report of the death of a 22-month-old boy in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in May 2010. The child was found hanging by his neck from the outer pull cords of a Roman shade and died later in the hospital. The CPSC also cited a 2008 incident in Delaware where a 2-year-old became entangled in the inner cords of a Roman shade but sustained no permanent injuries. No injuries have been reported for the roll-up or roller blinds.

Consumers should immediately stop using all affected Roman shades, roll-up blinds, and roller blinds lacking tension devices. They should contact the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 for free repair kits or visit www.windowcoverings.org. Owners of roller blinds with tension devices should ensure the device is properly attached to the wall or floor. For additional information, consumers can contact Domestications or Hanover at (800) 453-1106.

The recalled product

Product
Roman shades, roll-up blinds and roller blinds
Manufacturer
Hanover Direct Inc., (also known as Domestications, The Company Store, and Company Kids) of Weehawken, N.J.
Category
Consumer Product — Window Coverings
Hazard
Affected units
495,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · strangulation

See all →