Linda Kaiser, founder of Parents for Window Blind Safety (PFWBS), recently shared one central and passionate message to a crowd of global product safety experts: partnerships between advocacy groups, manufacturers, and retailers are vital in educating consumers and creating safer products.
Her personal insights, shared during the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization’s (ICPHSO) 2025 Annual Meeting and Training Symposium, reflect her long-term mission as a safety advocate pioneer. For years, Kaiser has been widely recognized as a driving force behind the industry-wide transition to cordless window coverings, significantly improving child safety standards. Her dedication and mission to champion safety stems from personal loss.
With the support of ANSI’s Consumer Participation Fund, Kaiser and other consumers can participate in the development of health and safety standards while forging connections with other changemakers who share a dedication to creating a safer future for us all.
You recently contributed powerful remarks to the ICPHSO 2025 training symposium, “Fostering Bridges Within the Product Safety Community.” Please tell us about your session.
It was an incredible honor to participate in this conference. The symposium brought together global experts in product safety to collaborate on making consumer products safer.
The session I contributed to, “Stronger Together: Harnessing the Power of Advocacy & Manufacturing for Product Safety,” focused on the importance of partnerships. In particular, the session explored how interests of safety advocates and manufacturers frequently align, and why taking the time to explore these intersections can unlock valuable opportunities for collaboration that can have a larger impact together, rather than separate. My remarks, along with those of my co-presenters, illuminated how building connections helps to lay the groundwork for future discussions and partnerships, and how solving problems by working together can have a major influence on product safety.
Thanks to your efforts, cordless blinds are now far more available and recommended, helping to combat a significant hazard for young children. Would you share your personal story on becoming a safety advocate and why you started Parents for Window Blind Safety?
When my daughter Cheyenne Rose lost her life from the inner cords of a window blind, I was standing at the intersection of grief and determination, grappling with the unthinkable tragedy of children losing their lives to window-covering cords. As I searched for answers, I discovered Kids In Danger (KID), a lifeline founded by parents who had also suffered an unimaginable loss.
Their mission to save children’s lives through safer product development resonated deeply with me, igniting a flicker of hope. I remember picking up the phone and calling KID, my heart racing as I explained my story to Nancy Cowles, the executive director. I felt that I had finally found a kindred spirit—someone who understood the vison I had for a safer future. Nancy became my guiding star, illuminating a path toward advocacy that I never knew existed. Before I knew it, I was sharing my story for the first time in 2008 at an ICPHSO conference, meeting experts ready to help me navigate the complex world of product safety. It felt like I was stepping into a new chapter of my life, one where my voice could create ripples of change.
How does your work with Parents for Window Blind Safety (PFWBS) shine a light on safety standards?
Parents for Window Blind Safety (founded in 2002) believes that standards make products safer, and a large part of our work revolves around educating both the industry and consumers about these standards. We provide extensive information to consumers on relevant safety standards, and incentivize manufacturers to make child safety paramount in their designs with our Lab Tested Mom-Approved Seal® program. We've also collaborated with companies like Lowe’s, who in turn ended up prioritizing safer window coverings in stores, making it easier for consumers to choose the safest options. By working with manufacturers and retailers, PFWBS has played a significant role in advancing product safety in the window blind industry, helping to make homes safer for children.
From your perspective, why is consumer participation important in the standards development process?
The standards development process is core to product safety: it serves as the critical lifeline that connects consumer protection, business, accountability, and innovation by establishing essential guidelines to assure products are safe, reliable, and fit for use.
There are several compelling reasons to participate in the standard development process:
Consumer involvement in developing product safety standards is pivotal because it helps to bridge the gap between consumer protection and business success. By contributing to the safety of products, you help protect lives, build trust, reduce liabilities, foster innovation, and support global trade. In essence, your work in this field has a profound and far-reaching impact on society as whole.
I am now on other standards committees as well, working in other areas. I am a grandparent now, and still care deeply about child product safety. I know that when consumers like me are involved in the standards development process, they become active participants in assuring their families’ safety. This involvement provides a sense of control over the products in our homes, and has a direct impact on the safety of those products.
How has ANSI’s Consumer Participation Fund helped PFWBS members engage in standards meetings?
The Consumer Participation Fund has been a game-changer by offering financial support to consumers participating in standards development activities. Participating in standards committee meetings can be expensive, especially for stakeholders not funded by large organizations. The costs, including travel and accommodations, can be prohibitive, particularly for parents like me. But the Fund has made it possible for me to attend these critical meetings and engage directly in the process. For example, thanks to the Fund, I was able to attend an impromptu meeting centered on cord retractors and tension devices—a highly debated issue among safety experts. Seeing these prototypes in person was essential, and I’m incredibly grateful that the Consumer Participation Fund made it possible for me to be there.
Editor’s note: Learn more about ANSI’s Consumer Participation Fund and other opportunities to find out about consumers in standards.
