A study released in 2009 from the Center for Injury Research and Policy states that approximately 15,000 children annually visit hospital emergency rooms for furniture tip-over-related injuries. Most of these are for children younger than 7 years old and result from televisions tipping over, often when children pull on, fall into or attempt to climb furniture to reach something.
Furniture and televisions are not generally seen as a hazard in the home, but they can be extremely dangerous to children if they are not stable or secured. Falling televisions or furniture can cause serious, or even fatal, injuries. Head and neck injuries are the most common among younger children, while children over age 9 are more likely to have injuries to the lower body.
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There was more than a 40% increase in the number of injuries during the 17-year study. Nearly half of these injuries resulted from falling televisions, but bookcases, dressers, and desks also caused injury.
Some quick & easy ways to minimize risk to children:
- Place televisions on a low, wide base and push it as far back on the base as possible.
- Do not use shelves or dressers as TV stands.
- Strap all TVs to a stable stand and/or wall.
- Don’t use the TV stand to store anything except the TV.
- Make sure the VCR or DVD player is below the TV and not where a child might climb up to insert a movie.
- Attach large furniture, such as dressers and bookshelves, to the wall using safety straps, L-brackets, or other secure attachment devices.
- Place heavy items on lower shelves.
- Use furniture with wide legs or solid bases.
- Install drawer stops on all drawers to prevent them from being pulled out more than two-thirds of the way.
- Don’t place items that are tempting to children high on shelves or on the top of the TV.
- Keep cords tucked away so a child does not pull heavy items down.
- Keep remote controls off of the TV stand and teach your child to use it so they won’t be tempted to try to reach the buttons on the TV.
- Teach safety from an early age.
- Always supervise your child.
