Furniture Tip-over

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people are injured by falling furniture each year. A majority of the victims are children. ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, has a tip-over standard for chests, armoires and dressers, and Underwriters Laboratories has one for TV stands. To guard against furniture tip-over, consumers should: purchase products that meet the voluntary tip-over standards; anchor any potentially unstable furniture to the wall; and always follow manufacturers' guidelines when selecting furniture to house TVs, especially today's popular large-screen models. The American Home Furnishings Alliance is at the forefront of efforts to revise the ASTM voluntary standard so that all furnishings covered by the standard would arrive in consumers' homes with a new warning label and a "tip restraint" kit.