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General Principles

The EN 13120 standard applies to all internal blinds installed in places accessible by children up to 42 months of age, like flats, detached houses, hotels, hospitals, churches, retail shops, schools, and generally all public areas. Interior blinds, operating mechanisms of which prevent formation of dangerous loops, are considered conforming from the viewpoint of compliance with this standard.

The standard does not apply, however, to areas where presence of children is not expected, like office spaces, factory buildings, laboratories, etc. In such cases, the product must bear the following notice: “Product to be installed in premises where children are not likely to have access.”

The strangulation hazard applying to infants and small children exists where accessible cord(s), being part of the inner shading, can form a dangerous loop and/or children can be entangled within the loop. Dangerous loops can be formed by pulling on the cords.

The best way to eliminate the strangulation hazard completely is to keep the cord out of the reach of children. If the cord is required for the operation of the internal blind, the strangulation hazard must be minimised by eliminating the formation of a dangerous loop by using a breakaway system, or by using a fixed tensioning system.

Breakaway System

The length of the pull cord must be limited as follows:

  • If installation height is not specified, the pull cord length shall be less than or equal to 2/3 of the blind height.
  • If installation height is specified, the bottom part of the pull cord shall be at least 60 cm from the floor.

A dangerous loop must be eliminated when a mass of 6 kg is applied or within 5 seconds of application.

Fixed Tensioning System

The fixed tensioning system prevents the cord loop from loosening. This can be attained by installing a fixed holding mechanism in the maximum possible distance from the controlling mechanism. The distance between two loop strands shall not exceed 50 mm at the output of the fixed tensioning device, and at the same time, the pull cords shall be limited as follows:

If installation height is not specified, and if the blind height is less than or equal to 2.5 m, the pull cord length shall be less than or equal to 1 m.

If installation height is not specified, and if the blind height exceeds 2.5 m, the pull cord length shall be less than or equal to the height of the blind minus the value of 1.5 m.

If installation height is specified, the bottom part of the pull cord shall be at least 1.5 m from the floor.

The description of safety components supplied by our company for the interior blinds and roller blinds is provided in ISOTRA Protective Systems.

Information stated herein is for reference only and is intended as a general introduction to these issues. The only bonding documents are the valid versions of EN 13120. ISOTRA shall not be held responsible for any incorrect, incomplete or misleading information. ISOTRA also shall not be held responsible for any loss caused by reliance upon said information alone.