Furniture Safety

Furniture Safety

You wouldn’t think to bring a baby home from the hospital without a car seat or have your child ride a bike without a helmet. Protecting your children from the potential risk of TV and furniture tip-overs is another important part of keeping them safe.

Info on Television / Furniture Safety

Every 3 weeks a child dies from a television tipping over. Over the past 10 years, a child visited the emergency room every 45 minutes because of a TV tipping over.

Top Tips

  1. Assess the stability of the TVs in your home.
  2. Mount flat-panel TVs to the wall to prevent them from toppling off stands. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that you have a secure fit.
  3. If you have a heavier, box-style cathode ray tube (CRT) TV, place it on a low, stable piece of furniture that is appropriate for the TV’s size and weight.
  4. If you no longer use your CRT TV, consider recycling it. To find a location to safely and easily recycle unwanted TVs, go to www.GreenerGadgets.org.
  5. Use brackets, braces or wall straps to secure unstable or top-heavy furniture to the wall, especially thin dressers and bookcases.

Learn More

These tips will help get you started, but if you’re interested in learning more about how to keep your family safe from TV and furniture tip-overs, keep reading below.

TV and Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Tips

Check TVs

  1. Assess the stability of the TVs in your home.

Secure TVs

  1. Mount flat screen TVs to the wall to reduce the risk of TVs toppling off stands. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you protect your wall and have a secure fit.
  2. If you have a heavier, box-style cathode ray tube (CRT) TV place it on a low, stable piece of furniture that is appropriate for the TV’s size and weight.

Secure Furniture

  1. Use brackets, braces or wall straps to secure unstable or top-heavy furniture to the wall.
  2. Install stops on dresser drawers to prevent them from being pulled all the way out. Multiple open drawers can cause the weight to shift, making it easier for a dresser to fall.

Rearrange Household Items

  1. Keep heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers.
  2. Avoid placing remote controls, food, toys or other items in places where kids might be tempted to climb up or reach for them.

Recycle Old TVs

  1. ̈Start with GreenerGadgets.org.
    To find a location to safely and easily recycle unwanted TVs, go to www.GreenerGadgets.org
  2.  Provide your zip code.
    GreenerGadgets.org will direct you to outlets in your zip code that will recycle electronics.
  3.  Call ahead.
    Before you drop off your old TV, computer or other device, please check the “Accepted Electronics” tab in the search results or call ahead to confirm they’ll accept your donation. You’ll need to know the size of your TV (measured diagonally) before you call.
  4.  Try an alternative.
    Please note, some locations do not accept TVs over a certain size unless you purchase a new TV, then they will haul away your old TV. If you have a large TV that does not meet the requirements of your first choice of drop off locations, consider using one of the other locations listed, or see if your city or town has a TV recycling program.

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