According to information provided to Consumer Reports by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, every 17 minutes, a piece of furniture, TV or appliance tips over causes an injury in the U.S. Between 2000-2016, tip-overs caused 195 deaths. Even worse, a child is killed by a falling piece of furniture in the U.S. every two weeks. In 2016, 2,800 incidents of injuries to children were reported — a 33% increase from 2015.
Anchor Tall Furniture to the Wall
One way to prevent tip-overs is to anchor large pieces of furniture to the wall. Locate the studs in your wall and use the anchoring kit that came with your furniture. If you don’t have an anchoring kit, an angle bracket works just as well.
Safety advocates: Many hazardous IKEA dressers remain in homes 2 years after recall
Every day, we represent victims of personal injury and wrongful death as they pursue justice, but it would be a better world without preventable accidents. Lawsuits we have pursued for deserving victims have prompted safety changes, but that came after the accidents and injuries happened. We believe that it is vital to try to find ways to prevent injuries and deaths before they happen. That’s why we will continue to share life-saving information to help keep everyone safe.
CPSC Tip-Over Information Center