Near Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Roman and Roller Shades Sold at Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBTeens:
Expands previous recall of Roman shades sold at Pottery Barn Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Roman Shades and Paxton Roller Shades

Units: About 305,000 Roman shades and 45,000 roller shades (about 85,000 Roman shades were recalled on August 26, 2009)

Retailer: Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen division of Williams-Sonoma Inc. of San Francisco, Calif.

Hazard:

Roman Shades: Strangulation can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the shade or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.

Roller Shades: Strangulation can occur if the shade's looped cord is not attached to the wall with the tension device provided and a child's neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop.

Incidents/Injuries:

Roman Shades: In June 2009, a three-year-old boy became entangled in the inner cord of a Roman shade while standing on his bed looking out of the window. The fabric liner covering the inner cords had detached exposing the inner cords. The child has recovered from the thin laceration around his neck.

Roller Shades: There have been no reports of injuries.

Description: This recall involves all sizes and colors of Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen Roman shades with and without fabric backing and the Paxton roller shades.

The Roman shades have two labels; "Pottery Barn", "potterybarnkids" or "PBteen" is printed on the smaller label and the larger orange, black and white label warns that "Cords and bead chains can loop around child's neck and STRANGLE."

The Paxton roller shades are made of solid fabric and have a metal rod at the bottom and a nylon operating cord.

Sold:

The Roman shades were sold exclusively through Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and PBteen catalogs and online at www.potterybarn.com, www.potterybarnkids.com and www.pbteen.com from January 1998 through October 2009 for between $25 and $180.

The Paxton roller shades were sold through the Pottery Barn catalog and online at www.potterybarn.com from January 2003 through October 2009 for between $100 and $120.

Manufactured in: China, Hong Kong, United States, and Mexico

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Roman shades and contact Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, or PBteen to receive a free repair kit for these products. Consumers should immediately check the recalled roller shades to make sure the tension device provided is attached to the looped cord and installed into the wall. If not attached, consumers should immediately attach the tension device securely to the wall. If they no longer have the tension device, consumers should immediately stop using the roller shades and contact Pottery Barn to receive a replacement tension device.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Pottery Barn at (800) 492-1949 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.potterybarn.com, http://www.potterybarnkids.com/stylehouse/recall/roman-shades.html?cm_src=oldlink&cm_re=FallD209-_-SafetyRecall_-RomanShades&cmtype=hplink and www.pbteen.com

Note: Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.