Furniture Tip-Over Injuries Have Increased Dramatically Over a Period of Time

Furniture tip-over injuries have increased dramatically over a period of time, making it a huge child safety issue. A study at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio which takes into account data from 1990 to 2007 found a 41% increase in furniture tip-over injuries.

Causes for Furniture Tip-Over Injuries:

• Heavy objects, mostly TVs, are placed on tables, cabinets, chests or other furniture that is not strong enough to support them.
• While TVs were involved in accidents with younger children, older children aged 10-17 were injured by desks, cabinets and bookshelves tipping over.
• According to the study, most tip-over injuries involved children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from televisions tipping over. Over one quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture.

Preventing Furniture Tip-Over Injuries:

• Follow manufacturer guidelines for how much weight a unit can safely hold. Place TV sets on entertainment furniture specifically designed to hold them, not unstable tables, cabinets or chests. Even flat screen TVs can topple over if they are not placed on a piece of furniture that is designed to hold them.
• Strap TV sets to a stable stand or wall.
• Attach large furniture, such as dressers or bookshelves to the wall with safety straps, L-brackets or other strong attachment devices. This will create a safer home even when small children are not present.
• Do not store objects attractive to children, such as toys or remote controls, on top of a TV set, bookshelf or any other high furniture surface. A child might try to climb to the top to get them.
• Prevent children from pulling drawers more than two-thirds of the way out by installing stops. Pulled-out drawers can shift the weight of a large dresser and cause it to fall over.
• Never open more than one drawer at a time.
• Children should be instructed to never climb into, stand inside or hang on drawers, doors or shelves.
• When buying furniture look for cabinets or chests that are well made. Drawers should open and close smoothly without sticking. Yanking on a stuck drawer can also cause chests, dressers or cabinets to topple over.
• Do not defeat or remove the drawer interlock system.
• Do not overload book shelves and book cases. Strap tall book cases to the wall to prevent tip-over accidents.