New standard aims to prevent furniture tipping

Devices, warnings urged for certain case goods

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 22, 2009

HIGH POINT — Furniture manufacturers are encouraged to include anti-tipping devices and installation instructions with case pieces that are more than 30 inches tall, according to a new standard issued by standards development firm ASTM International.

The new voluntary standard also encourages manufacturers to put a visible warning inside a drawer or door of the piece letting consumers know of the tipping hazard.

The warning label should tell consumers not to place televisions on chests, door chests or dressers. It also should warn users to place the heaviest objects in lower drawers and not open more than one drawer of the unit at a time.

Perhaps most importantly, the warning labels should urge parents not to allow children to climb on furniture, ASTM said.

The standard, which took effect May 15, places more responsibility on manufacturers to help prevent child injuries caused by the tipping of furniture items. Previously, parents were encouraged to purchase tip restraints on their own.

The standard applies to bedroom pieces including chests, door chests and dressers that have a tendency to tip forward when extra weight is applied, particularly to an open drawer. The restraint should withstand a pull force of at least 50 pounds when a drawer is open two-thirds of the way and the weight is applied to the front center part of the drawer.

The restraints attach the unit to a wall, or frame to keep it from tipping.

The tipping hazard has caused an average of 14,700 injuries each year from 1990-2007, mostly to children under age six, according to a recently released study by Nationwide Children's Hospital. These resulted in 264,200 emergency room visits during the same 18-year period.

The study also said there were 300 tipping-related deaths reported from 1990-2007, nearly all of which were from falling dressers and TVs.

To help educate the public about the new standards, the American Home Furnishings Alliance has posted information about the proper use of anti-tip restraints on its consumer Web site, www.findyourfurniture.com. The AHFA also will issue a safety video on the same site that demonstrates how these restraints work.

"If consumers leave these restraints in the box and ignore them, the industry's efforts to provide this safety device are for naught," said Bill Perdue, AHFA vice president in a statement. "In addition, if not installed correctly, tip restraints can and will fail."

Perdue also said that while it is voluntary, a manufacturer that doesn't follow the new standard can face punitive or legal action involving an injury or death associated with tipping furniture.

AHFA members with questions about the revised standard should contact Perdue at bperdue@ahfa.us. Non-AHFA members can contact ASTM at service@astm.org.