WASHINGTON, D.C. — With families spending more time indoors due to COVID-19 restrictions, children are at an increased risk of injury or death from furniture and TV tip-overs. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) latest report on tip-overs illustrates the ongoing need for parents and caregivers to address this risk, including the use of easy-to-install, affordable anti-tip kits to protect their children and give themselves peace of mind. Millions will watch Super Bowl LV on February 7, and the time is now to anchor all TVs in the home, including new ones bought during holiday sales, or purchased in anticipation of the “Big Game.”
CPSC’s report shows alarming statistics. Between 2000 and 2019, 451 children age 17 and under were killed by furniture and TV tip-over incidents. During the period from 2017 through 2019, an annual average of 11,100 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for tip-over-related injuries. Seventy-nine (79) percent of all furniture and TV tip-over fatalities involved children younger than six. Seventy-five (75) percent of fatal incidents for children involved a TV.
“Tip-over injuries and deaths are among the most tragic we see,” said Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “Parents and caregivers don’t suspect that the bookcase or dresser in their child’s room can be hazardous—it’s a truly hidden hazard. And these tip-overs happen so fast; it’s literally in the blink of an eye, often with a parent close by.”
According to a 2020 CPSC survey, many parents and caregivers who did not anchor furniture and TVs believed it was not necessary, as long as they were watching the kids. This approach too often proves false, as shown in CPSC’s latest safety video, where real-life footage of falling furniture could have resulted in child deaths. Media can download the video, “Even When You’re Watching.”
To protect children from a tip-over incident, CPSC urges parents and caregivers to follow simple safety steps:
About Anchor It!
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
For lifesaving information:
– Visit CPSC.gov.
– Sign up to receive our e-mail alerts.
– Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC.
– Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
– Call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
– Contact a media specialist.
The link you selected is for a destination outside of the Federal Government. CPSC does not control this external site or its privacy policy and cannot attest to the accuracy of information it contains. You may wish to review the privacy policy of the external site as its information collection practices may differ from ours. Linking to this external site does not constitute an endorsement of the site or the information it contains by CPSC or any of its employees. Click OK if you wish to continue to the website; otherwise, click Cancel to return to our site.
OK CANCEL