How to Prevent Furniture Tip-Over Injuries

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, cabinet s, 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, cabinet s 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, cabinet s 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 cabinet s 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 cabinet s 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.

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