admitted to the hospital for additional treatment, and the majority (82%) of those were younger than age 6.
While TVs accounted for 41% of tip-over injuries between 1990 and 2019, there’s been a substantial decrease in TV-related injuries since 2010, the findings show.
During the study period, about 10% of TV-associated injuries also involved simultaneous tip-over of furniture, and children younger than age 6 accounted for 75% of TV tip-over injuries, according to the study published Aug. 26 in the journal Injury Epidemiology.
The study authors also noted that injuries associated with tip-overs of clothing storage units, such as dressers and wardrobes, represent an “important subset” of about 17% of all tip-over injuries.
Current voluntary safety standards for such units are inadequate, according to the researchers. They noted that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has proposed a rule to strengthen those standards.
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“Despite the decline in tip-over injuries since 2010, more should be done to prevent these injuries, especially among young children. The number of injuries remains high, outcomes can be life-threatening, and there are known effective prevention strategies,” Smith says.
“Consumers cannot determine the stability of a piece of furniture by looking at it. Manufacturers need to comply with adequate safety standards and the U.S. CPSC must enforce compliance,” he stresses.
Still, Nationwide Children’s Hospital outlined measures families can take now to prevent furniture and TV tip-overs:
- Anchor furniture like dressers, bookcases and entertainment centers to the wall and mount TVs to the wall when possible.
- Place TVs only on appropriate furniture and anchor both to the wall.
- Keep TVs and furniture clear of remote controls, toys, or other items that may encourage climbing by young children.