Cleats and tensioners: why blind safety devices are not foolproof
Since the child-safety requirements in BS EN 13120 came into force, blinds sold in the UK with a loop of cord or chain have had to come with a safety device: a cleat, a tensioner or a breakaway connector. That is a real improvement. But the standard itself is more cautious about those devices than most product pages are.
What the standard says
The British Blind and Shutter Association’s “Make it safe” leaflet, supported by RoSPA and the Child Accident Prevention Trust, quotes the EN 13120 wording directly. Complete elimination of the strangulation risk “can only be achieved by keeping cords, chains, and tapes and similar out of the reach of children.” Additional safety devices “may reduce the risk of strangulation but cannot be considered foolproof.” It also notes that people in charge of children are ultimately responsible for following the manufacturer’s safety instructions.
The three devices, briefly
- Cleat: a hook the loose cord is wrapped around, fixed to the wall or frame out of reach. It works only while someone wraps the cord back on it every time the blind is moved.
- Tensioner: holds the loop taut against the wall so it cannot be pulled out into a loop. It depends on being fixed properly and kept tight.
- Breakaway connector: a joint in the loop that separates under load. It helps if a child gets caught, but it does not stop the cord being a toy or a hazard before then.
Where they go wrong
None of this is a defect in the devices. It is that each one relies on something staying true: the cord being put back on the cleat, the tensioner staying screwed or stuck down, the connector being fitted at all. Rented homes and second-hand blinds are where the device is most likely to be missing, loose or never installed, and a cleat fitted at a good height in a quiet week does nothing on the morning someone forgets to wind the cord back.
Where a winder fits
A winder is not a replacement for any of these and we would not claim it removes the risk; the standard says only keeping the chain out of reach does that. What it does is give the loose chain somewhere to go: it is wound up onto a wall-mounted disc, out of reach of children and pets, and it sticks to the wall without drilling. It still has to be used, so the habit matters as much as with a cleat. Fitting height still matters, and our guide to where to fit a blind chain winder covers it.
Inner cords are a separate issue. The same leaflet notes that motorising a blind removes the risk from looped pull-cords, but the risk from inner tapes and cords on some blind types remains. A winder does not address those either.
Related guides
- Winder vs. cutting the chain vs. a breakaway connector — the tradeoffs of each fix in more detail.
- Blind cord safety rules by country — what the standards and laws require where you live.