Advocates urge furniture industry to comply with new federal safety standards in September

As children are taking the brunt of furniture tipping injuries and deaths, advocates are urging furniture companies to comply with a new federal safety rule going into effect Sept. 1.

Out of the 19,400 emergency department related injuries reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission between 2019 and 2021, about 15,600 injuries involved furniture. More than 590 deaths have been reported between 2000 and 2021 related to tip-over incidents.

Children under the age of 18 account for about 7,200 of those reported injuries, according to a 2022 report put out by the CPSC. 

The STURDY Act, which stands for Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth was signed into law by Congress in December of 2022. The act requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as a dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers. Such standards must include specified testing related to tip overs and new warning requirements for all such products entering the U.S. market, according to the congressional website. 

The new rule impacts all covered products with a manufacture date on or after Sept. 2.

More:My daughter should have been the last child to die from a furniture tip-over

Advocates call for compliance

An open letter from parent and consumer advocacy groups has urged the furniture industry to fully comply with the new requirements set forth by the CPSC.  

Full compliance is the only way to prioritize child safety, the letter stated. At least three deaths have been reported in the last few months, the letter said. 

“Furniture makers and retailers have had sufficient warning that the new standard to prevent tip-overs was coming – they helped develop it. There is no excuse for manufacturers and retailers to continue selling unstable, non-compliant dressers after the government’s September 1 effective date. We already have too many hazardous dressers in our homes – it’s time to get them off our store shelves and online sites,” Executive Director of Kids In Danger, Nancy Cowles said. 

Failing to comply could put children’s lives at risk. Those who fail to comply should have substantial consequences, including fines of up to $120,000 per violation and potential criminal penalties, the letter said. 

Especially if the CPSC does not take swift and decisive enforcement action against any company violating the law starting Sept. 1.

Furniture related death:22-month-old girl killed after dresser tips over, trapping her

The new furniture standards

The mandatory standard was designed to protect children up to 72 months old, or six years of age, according to the CPSC. 

Manufacturers are required to make safer clothing storage units starting 120 days after publication in the Federal Register with the CPSC actively monitoring the marketplace and enforcing the safety standard.

Here’s what ASTM International is saying the safety standard covers: 

• This safety specification is intended to reduce injuries and deaths of children from hazards associated with tip over of free-standing clothing storage units, including but not limited to chests, chests of drawers, drawer chests, armoires, chifferobes, bureaus, door chests, and dressers, which are 27 in. (686 mm) or greater in height, 30 lb (13.6 kg) or greater in mass, and contain 3.2 ft3 (90.6 dm3) or greater of enclosed storage volume
• This safety specification does not cover shelving units like bookcases or entertainment furniture, office furniture, dining room furniture, jewelry armoires, underbed drawer storage units, etc 
• The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard

How to keep your kids safe from tip-over incidents

The CPSC used to say that on average a child dies every two weeks from a TV, piece of furniture, or an appliance falling on them in the decade following the 2000s. At that time, the most common tip-over scenarios involved toddlers who have climbed onto, fallen against or pulled themselves up on furniture. 

The majority of fatalities were where furniture fell by itself or fell along with a TV involving a chest, dresser, or a bureau. Often, these pieces of furniture have drawers that children use to climb. 

Here are some tips from the CPSC:

•  Anchor furniture to the wall or the floor 
•  Place TVs on sturdy, low bases
•  Or anchor the furniture and the TV on top of it and push the TV as far back on top of the furniture as possible
•  Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might be attractive to children off TV stands or furniture 
•  Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children 
• Make sure freestanding kitchen ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets
•  Supervise children in rooms where these safety tips have not been followed