Prevent television tip-overs

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on July 25, 2007, announced the recall of about 414,000 Sauder Woodworking television stands (shown). Read more on the recall in the Consumer Reports On Safety Blog.

While this recall was based on the collapsing hazard of the Sauder stands and not on the risk of a furniture tip-over, it highlights the potential danger many television stands pose.

As the video from our March 2006 safety alert shows, unstable furniture can pose a real risk, and tip-overs often occur because consumers are not taking necessary safety precautions at home. Here's what you can do to prevent a dangerous, even fatal, accident:
• Ensure that the furniture on or in which you place your TVs is stable. Do not place TVs on dressers, chests, or other types of furniture with drawers that young children can pull out and use to climb.
• Place your TV as far back as possible on or in the furniture--tip-over is more likely if the set is too far forward.
• Do not store items on top of the TV that will grab a child's attention--a small kid might try to climb on a piece of furniture in an effort to get the remote. "The predictable thing about kids is that they are unpredictable," says Julie Vallese, director of public affairs for the CPSC. She adds that parents should never assume that their children who tend not to be "climbers" won't use the drawers in a dresser as a stepladder, for example.
• Keep all cables and wires behind the TV or furniture. This way, no one will trip over them and potentially pull over the TV or furniture.
• Anchor any potentially unstable furniture more than 30 inches tall to the wall or floor with straps or other restraints. And keep heavy objects off of dressers.
• Look for TV carts and stands that meet Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards.—Steven H. Saltzman

Essential information: To learn how to stay on top of the latest recalls, see "CPSC steps out with million-consumer march," and subscribe to the Consumer Reports On Safety blog for in-depth news on important product-safety issues.