Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall of Roman Shades by Draper Inc.

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #10074) was formally reported on December 15, 2009. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Draper Inc., of Spiceland, Ind. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 1,800 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: These shades have an exposed operating cord and exposed inner cords on the back of the shade. Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of th… Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should immediately stop using the Roman shades and call Draper for a free retrofit kit that removes both the operating cords and the exposed inner cords from the shades. — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 17 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.