Standards keep entertainment furniture safe
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, July 2, 2007
High Point — While a new construction standard is proposed to prevent tipping in bedroom furniture, an industry expert says an existing voluntary standard should still work for another category of product, entertainment furniture.
Even though the electronics used with entertainment furniture are changing with the advent of new flat-panel televisions, the existing standard is believed to provide enough stability.
Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1678, passed a few years ago, deals with furniture designed for use with televisions, such as TV carts, stands and entertainment centers, said Gary Bell, product safety manager for manufacturer Sauder. Bell also serves as a member of the standards committees of both key U.S. testing agencies, UL and ASTM.
Bell said the voluntary standard was put in place with picture-tube TVs (CRT models) in mind, but said that Sauder's own testing has shown that the tipping hazard is no higher with flat-panel sets. He plans to present this data to the UL panel.
Think about the way televisions are made, he said. The conventional, pre-flat panel TV has the picture tube against the front glass, making it very front-heavy. Even though flat-panel sets are narrower, the weight is more evenly distributed.
Sauder put some TV stands and carts through the UL's 10-degree tip model and found the new televisions no more prone to topple than the old ones.
However, because the standard is voluntary, consumers can't always be sure their purchase is compliant.
If the manufacturer has the product tested by UL or a third-party testing facility like Detroit Testing, ETL and Diversified Labs, then it will receive a certification sticker that goes on the back of the product.
Some manufacturers may be compliant, but because of the expense and time involved, don't obtain UL certification. In that case, the company could declare its compliance in point-of-purchase materials like signs and hangtags, but its validity would not be certified.
Making furniture that passes these tests is imperative, said Bell.
